Jaipur: Expressing serious concern over
the depleting water table in the state, Rajasthan Chief
Minister Ashok Gehlot today told the Assembly that his
government has awarded the highest priority to availability of
drinking water and irrigation in coming fiscal year.
Participating in the motion of thanks on the
Governor`s address, the chief minister said the government
would also strongly focus on providing jobs to labourers under
NREGA and fodder kits to farmers in scarcity-hit 27 districts
out of 33.
Ten districts including Bhilwara, Ajmer, Nagaur, Pali
are the regions hit worst by water scarcity and the government
was repairing and digging new wells and handpumps, Gehlot
said.
In about 200 blocks in the state there was no water
left, Gehlot said.
To meet irrigation needs, the state government has
made efforts to talk to chief ministers of Punjab and Madhya
Pradesh to release water under inter-state agreements for
standing rabi crops, he said.
A delegation of Congress MPs also met Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and other Central ministers yesterday on the
matter.
Gehlot said his government had approved six major
power plants with generation capacity of 4000 mw and
investment worth Rs 40,000 crore.
Three super-critical power stations would come up at
Suratgarh, Chabra and Banswara, Gehlot added.
-PTI
