WATER HARVESTING NECESSARY TO REDUCE DEMAND FOR UNDERGROUND WATER

Balarampur, 17 December 2009. Water harvesting need to be resorted to if irrigation facilities have to be ensured on long term basis. Speaking at a seminar on Bharat Nirman Public Information Campaign at Balarampur Abhoy Ashram Naitalim Vidyapith under Kharagpur-II Block of Paschim Medinipur, Shri Shibaprasad Mallik, Pradhan, Changwal Gram Panchayat said that our dependence on rains and underground water has to be reduced otherwise a falling underground water level would post serious threat towards agricultural activities and lead to scarcity of drinking water. In view of this the central government has taken initiatives to dig tanks or to renovate them so that the rain water can be conserved, he said. Shri Mallik also stressed the need for afforestation to ensure rain fall.

Hailing PMGSY Shri Mallik said that this project would provide the villagers with pucca roads and bring the rural health centres to them. About rural electrification he said that the central government has taken initiative to provide electricity to each BPL family. Such a family will not have to pay any money for electricity connection. Initiative has also been taken to supply drinking water to each rural household under Rajiv Gandhi Rural Water Mission. The project is being implemented exp closer expeditiously in places where electricity is available. He also appreciated the Indira Awas Yojana for its role in providing shelters to BPL families.

Two seminars were also held at the PIC one one Mid-day Meal Scheme and the other on Right To Information Act. Shri Ajay Pramanik, Headmaster, Balarampur Naitalim Vidyapith welcomed the Mid-day Meal Scheme as a novel initiative of the government. He said that the scheme has been successful in bringing about a decline in the number of school drop outs. However, he is of the view that some thought should be given to the idea of introducing the scheme for the students of class IX to XII in schools particularly those which are situated in rural areas.

Speaking at the seminar on RTI Act Shri Rajesh Banerjee, lecturer, Medinipur Law College hailed the act as an important instrument to ensure transparency and to fight corruption and malpractice. He expressed unhappiness over the implementation of the act in West Bengal. But the situation would improve and the act would help in ensuring transparency even in this state, he observed.