Neeru-Meeru will be a round-the-year programme, says CM

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, MAY 30. The Chief Minister, Mr.N. Chandrababu Naidu, here on Wednesday said ``Neeru Meeru'' would be a round-the-year programme aimed at comprehensively developing the village economy apart from increasing the water table.

Inviting an action plan from experts of the Water Conservation Mission (WCM), Mr. Chandrababu Naidu said even if the Government were to spend some money on a survey for evolving a permanent strategy to conserve water it would be worthwhile. He said that out of Rs. 8,000 crores spent on power generation in the State, 33 per cent was being spent on agriculture.

At the same time, returns from the sector was a meagre Rs. 250 crores and the rest of it all went in for subsidy. Hence, if a cost-effective water conservation scheme along with a comprehensive development plan of villages could be evolved, the State would still be benefited.

Mr. Naidu said that the 13-month ``Neeru-Meeru'' programme had reached a take-off point now and the response was ever increasing. The visual benefits were drawing people into the programme and voluntary participation was the most encouraging aspect of the programme, he said.

The four-tier coordination (State, district, mandal and village) was yielding good results and the present emphasis was on cost- effectiveness. A facility could be created but its conservation should not be cumbersome, he added.

The Chief Minister said absence of a similar experience elsewhere in the country only meant that the programme could not be easily replicated. It was more on a trial and error basis that it was being implemented, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu said. The evolution as far as people were concerned should be on the lines of ``participation, partnership and ownership'' in the programmes.

Contractors were not involved and all programmes were being undertaken by self-help groups and various other committees being run by people themselves. The Centre could have shown a certain degree of keenness in promoting the programme on a large scale as water was national wealth. He said he had written several times to the Centre for better response, yet, the latter was reluctant, he said.

As suggested by members, equity participation would be brought he said and added that in order to ensure transparency and accountability the Accountant-General was carrying out concurrent audit on ``Neeru-Meeru'' works executed by the line departments.

The authorities were directed to undertake documentation work and the usage of IT meant information on fingertips, he said. An appropriate campaign strategy to bring about massive awareness on the lines of the literacy programme was also launched, he said. He invited the members of the WCM to undertake field visits for longer durations and study the programme carefully so that viable suggestions would come from them.

He said that departments like Forest, Rural Development, Panchayat Raj and Rural Water Supply, Minor Irrigation, Major Irrigation and Urban Development and Endowments

which were involved in undertaking ``Neeru-Meeru'' were given specific targets. He welcomed the proposal of banks to extend silt loans to farmers.

Earlier, the members suggested to the Government to integrate the programme with several others for the benefit of villages. All distress points must be identified and highlighted, they said. The movement was an excellent one and with proper perspective and planning it would ensure water security to all, they said.

The members who toured the districts and studied the programme said an objective conceptualisation was needed and the concept of equity must be brought into it. It was not just enough to create a resource, but its management was also important they said. The Government must not hesitate to evaluate the programme in an objective manner and the negative points must not be ignored.

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Section  : Southern States
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