Date:03/03/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/03/03/stories/2006030310700500.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

State spends Rs. 1,483 cr. on irrigation in February

Special Correspondent

It is a record, says Major Irrigation Minister

Upswing in spending is due to beginning of dry season

Expenditure in March likely to go up further

HYDERABAD: February 2006 will be a milestone in the history of irrigation in the State, says Major Irrigation Minister P. Lakshmaiah. The expenditure incurred by the State Government on different irrigation projects for the month touched Rs. 1,483 crores, which is higher than the State's annual average in the past one decade put at Rs. 930 crores.

The Minister told reporters here on Thursday that the total sum spent on irrigation projects for which works worth Rs. 31,000 crores were grounded in the past 15 months after tendering, amounted to Rs 5,054 crores till date. Out of this, a 58 per cent was in Telangana (Rs. 2,913 crores), Rs 1,460 crores in Coastal Andhra and Rs. 680 crores in Rayalaseema.

Tendering process

The Minister said the upswing in spending was due to a favourable climate caused by completion of tendering process in many cases and commencement of dry season. He hoped that the expenditure in March would be higher. While the allotment of Rs. 10,000 crores this year to irrigation itself was very high, the figure might go up further by Rs. 300 crores by year-end.

The Minister sought to make light the criticism that Jalayagnam found no place in the Union Budget despite claims of appreciation by the President, the Prime Minister and the UPA chairperson. He said the State would get major share from the increased irrigation budget and AIBP.