Following
are the excerpts from the Report to the
people 2004-07 specifically on the programmes
run by the Ministry of Rural Development.. The Report was released by the
Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh on 22nd May, 2007.
BHARAT NIRMAN
Bharat Nirman is a four-year
programme (2005-09) for achieving identified goals in six selected areas of rural
infrastructure of which drinking water, housing and roads is managed by the Ministry
of Rural Development. In these areas the aim is to have universal coverage, where
every village will have access to safe drinking water and – for a population of
at least one thousand, or 500 in hilly / tribal areas – access to all weather
road. In addition, we intend to build 60 lakh houses and add one crore hectares
of irrigation capacity. The estimated investment is over Rs. 1,74,000 crore. Internal
and extra-budgetary resources also contribute to investment under the programme.
The goal for drinking water is
to ensure that estimated 55,000 habitations without safe source of drinking water,
estimated 2.8 lakh habitations that have slipped back from full coverage, and
estimated 2.17 lakh habitations that have problems of water quality are provided
access to safe drinking water. 66,802 habitations will be connected to a road
aimed over the period 2005-09 through construction of 1.46 lakh km of roads and
upgrading of 1.94 lakh km of existing roads at an investment of approximately
Rs. 48,000 crore.
Most of the
yearly targets have been met for projects undertaken through Bharat Nirman, except
in a few States. Programmes for rural roads, rural housing and rural drinking
water supply are on track. 9,481 habitations
had been connected by January 2007, with over 30,000 km length of new roads and
nearly 29,000 km length of upgraded roads. Over 23 lakh houses had been constructed.
1.5 lakh habitations had been provided save drinking water as per norms.
RURAL EMPLOYMENT
The National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act has been passed. For the first time, it recognises the right to
work as a fundamental legal right and entitles the rural poor to guaranteed employment
for hundred days. Over 1.4 crore households have benefited under the Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme under the Act made operational in 200 districts initially
with expansion to another 130 districts during 2007. Over 500,000 works are under
operation under the Act in different parts of the country, of which over half
are in the area of water conservation and drought-proofing, contributing to rebuilding
of the natural resource base. A social safety net of this dimension has not been
undertaken ever before anywhere in the world. The law commits the Government to expand the Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme throughout the country within five years.
WATER MANAGEMENT
A substantial proportion
of funds under the schemes mandated by the National Rural Employment Guarantee
Act is earmarked for water conservation works. A National Project for Repair,
Renovation and Restoration of Water Bodies used by farmers has been launched on
pilot basis. The DPAP and IWDP, the two programmes for watershed development,
have been brought under a common guideline. States have been asked to direct municipal
bodies to make rainwater-harvesting part of design approvals by local bodies.
A number of states have done work on rainwater harvesting and / or taken steps
to amend municipal or building laws.
A National Rain-fed Area Authority
is being established to look into all dimensions of managing water resources in
rain-fed areas.
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AD/ST/SR
(Release ID :28235)