The Hindu : National : Cabinet nod for project to restore water bodies

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Friday, Jan 28, 2005

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National

Cabinet nod for project to restore water bodies

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JAN. 27. The Union Cabinet today approved a national project for repair, renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture.

The Centre's share of the estimated project cost of Rs. 300 crores would be 75 per cent (Rs. 225 crores), while the remaining 25 per cent would be borne by State Governments who would implement the project.

The project period would be between seven and 10 years. The scheme is meant to restore and augment storage capacities of water bodies and recover their lost irrigation potential.

The Detailed Project Reports prepared by States would spell out the graded monitoring mechanism. The State monitoring committees may co-opt Central Water Commission (CWC) representative from the regional offices. Besides, the States would specify in the reports periodic evaluation to take the scheme forward.

The Union Ministry of Water Resources will establish, through the CWC and the Central Ground Water Board, a ``superimposed monitoring with appropriate frequency'' of the projects taken up in the States in a structured manner.

At the Central level, the monitoring structure would include a combination of on-site examination of works and off-site analysis of the States' monitoring reports.

The Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, had given a hint about the proposal coming up before the Union Cabinet last week during a conference on water in which the World Bank participated.

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