NEW DELHI: A meeting of the Committee on Rural Infrastructure here has approved a `Bharat Nirman' proposal, entailing an investment of over Rs. 1,74,000 crores in six critical areas over a four-year period (2005-2009).

The meet was chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday.

`Bharat Nirman,' listed as a rural development package in the Union budget for 2005-06, is to bring an additional one crore hectares under irrigation, connect all villages that have a population of 1,000 (or 500 in hilly/tribal areas) with roads, construct 60 lakh houses for the poor, and provide drinking water to over 74,000 new habitations.

The programme also envisages provision of electricity to 1.25 lakh villages by offering connections to 2.3 crore households, and extend telephone connectivity to 66,822 villages.

`New deal'

Dr. Singh said at the meeting: "Bharat Nirman is the most important initiative of the United Progressive Alliance Government this year, offering a new deal to rural India.

It will emphasise outcomes, and not just outlays."

He urged the implementing Ministries and State Governments to improve the Centre's "absorptive capacity" so that the "system does not become a constraint on our ability to deliver.

`Bharat Nirman' should be implemented with a sense of urgency and dedication at all levels of Government."

The meeting was attended by the Union Ministers for Finance, Rural Development, Power, Panchayati Raj, Surface Transport, Telecommunications and Water Resources, and the Deputy Chairman and Members of the Planning Commission, apart from senior officials of the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministries concerned.

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