Parched Rajasthan get Rs 1,300 crore for drinking water

"While the budget for provision of drinking water has increased by 40 per cent, the total allocation was Rs 10,500 crore with Rajasthan getting the maximum amount of Rs 1,300 crore," Rural Development, Drinking Water and Sanitation Minister Jairam Ramesh said replying to a Calling Attention notice.

Observing that Rajasthan government had sent several proposals, he said many of the projects proposed have been approved and would be completed by 2014-15.

He said a meeting of water resources ministers of states had been convened by the Centre later this week and he would raise the issue with Rajasthan to expedite the projects, including those in Jhunjhunu and Churu.

Acknowledging that the government has not been able to provide 40 litres of drinking water per person in many parts of Rajasthan, he said the government has sought World Bank support for preventing fluoridation of drinking water.

Maintaining that desert districts were being given top priority in drinking water programmes, Ramesh said he had himself travelled to the affected areas in Rajasthan and found that the problem was very serious.

Moving the Calling Attention, Congress member Sis Ram Ola said a large number of districts were experiencing serious drinking water scarcity and the ground water levels had gone down even below 1,000 feet.

The water available was also saline and brackish due to which people were also suffering from cholera,, he said, adding the government should do some serious soul-searching in the matter.

Noting that Jaisalmer, Nagaur, Tonk, Sujangarh and various other parts were badly affected, Ola said even the forward airbase at Uttarlai was suffering from severe water shortage which was "a very serious matter".