Maharashtra govt's Water Conservation Department renamed

The Maharashtra government's Water Conservation Department will now function under a new name and it will be headquartered at Aurangabad in Marathwada region of the state.
The government today cleared a proposal to rechristen it as Soil and Water Conservation Department, Ram Shinde, Water Conservation Minister, said.
Speaking to reporters, he said, "The government has undertaken an ambitious project to make Maharashtra scarcity- free by 2019. The government's flagship programme Jalyukta Shivar required involvement of seven departments and some 14 schemes and it was a time-consuming exercise to review the scheme's progress.
"Hence, the government has decided to club these schemes and implement them jointly."

The Aurangabad-based Water and Land Management Institute's building will host the headquarters of the rechristened department.
The institute is currently part of Water Resources Department and on May 1, it will be handed over to the Soil and Water Conservation Department, Shinde said.
"My department will be able to undertake work up to 600 hectares. Earlier the limit was up to 250 hectares. This will increase the department's scope and reach," he said.