Pic: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Apr 8: The 'Jal Shakti' campaign aimed at laying emphasis on water conservation under an initiative of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be run for 100 days in all the assembly constituencies in the state. The campaign will be inaugurated at Hubballi on April 9, informed rural development and panchayat raj minister, K S Eshwarappa.
He was giving details at a press conference held in the city on Wednesday April 7 after chairing a meeting where review of the department was undertaken. Under the Jal Shakti campaign, integrated development of ponds under National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme. He said that the campaign will be initiated at Hubballi on April 9.
"Under the scheme, revival of drains which bring water to ponds, desilting operation, repair of the retaining walls of the ponds, growing of plants in vacant land around the water bodies, revival of ponds within each gram panchayat limits, giving fresh lease of life to canals, digging of ponds, arch check dams, bore well recharge, rainwater harvesting, afforestation, removing sediment from check dams etc can be undertaken under the Jal Shakti scheme," he explained.
Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister Kota Srinivas Poojary, fisheries minister S Angara, MLA Rajesh Naik, MLC Pratap Sinha Nayak and zilla panchayat president Meenakshi Shantigodu, were at the press conference.
Eshwarappa clarified that taluk panchayat election will be held along with zilla panchayat election this time. About his letter to the governor, he said that he had met him sought suggestions from the governor about rules and regulations after learning that funds earmarked for certain heads of account were spent for something else, but not complained, as the governor had earlier functioned as finance minister in Gujarat.
He also opined that it would not be feasible to consider KSRTC employees as government employees as other corporation employees will also seek similar facilities. He predicted that the employees who follow the advice of leader Kodihalli Chandrashekhar, will face problems. He asserted that this illegal agitation will be crushed by the government.