Bidar: The Government will construct 1,655 farm ponds in the district to help farmers recharge the aquifer and maintain humidity in their fields. About Rs. Rs 1.62 crore will be spent on this.

Gram panchayats will choose the beneficiaries. The Bidar Zilla Panchayat will monitor construction of the farm ponds by the Watershed Development Department. Gram panchayats secretaries will soon start organising "gram sabhas" to choose the beneficiaries, zilla panchayat Chief Executive Officer Jitendra Nayak said on Thursday. He was chairing a performance review meeting of various departments under the Karnataka Development Programme.

Farmers will get enough water for their crops. Farm ponds will be constructed in each of the 175 gram panchayats, District Watershed Development Officer M.S. Katagi said.

Beneficiaries will be chosen on priority from among the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, small and marginal farmers. The scheme aims at increasing the level of ground water, providing water to people and cattle, and to promote growth of crops in dry land areas, he said.

Officials will construct 358 farm ponds in Aurad, 340 in Basava Kalyan, 331 in Bhalki, 313 in Bhalki, and 313 in Humnabad, the officer said.

Mr. Nayak said two gram panchayats would be selected in each taluk for implementing the "Namma Bhoomi Namma Tota" scheme to promote horticulture. Horticulture nurseries will be developed in each taluk under the National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme, he said. He instructed officials to take up works approved by gram sabhas. He told them to display details of the works on the gram panchayat notice boards.

Zilla Panchayat president Anil Bhusare instructed officials to clear the confusion regarding the distribution of ration cards. Officials said that around 2.4 lakh objections had been received about the issue. The problem would be solved by December 15, they said.

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