The Hindu : Front Page : All rural schools to get water, sanitation by March end

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Sunday, Jan 27, 2008
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All rural schools to get water, sanitation by March end

Special Correspondent

The scheme will cover 4,741 schools in rural areas
NREGS will be extended to all districts

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

celebration: Governor Rameshwar Thakur inspecting the guard of honour during the 59th Republic Day celebrations at Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Ground in Bangalore on Saturday.

BANGALORE: Governor Rameshwar Thakur has said all government schools in rural areas will be provided drinking water and sanitation facilities before March 31.

In his 23-page address after unfurling the tricolour at Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Ground here on the occasion of the 59th Republic Day celebrations on Saturday, he said 2,386 schools in rural areas had been provided with drinking water. A sum of Rs. 21.70 crore had been released for covering the remaining 4,741 rural schools. “It is proposed to cover all rural government schools with water supply and sanitation facilities before March 31,” he said.

Over 11 lakh individual households, 23,000 schools and 17,000 anganwadi centres had been provided with toilets. The Government had given importance to rural sanitation, the Governor said.

As recommended by the Nanjundappa Committee on regional imbalances, the Governor said a special cell in the Planning Commission had been constituted to achieve the structural shift and eliminate regional disparities. “My objective is to ensure that the administration steps up the tempo of all-round growth and development. Every decision should be taken strictly in accordance with the law and should pass the test of transparency and accountability,” he said.

The Governor said the progress in the agricultural sector had been disappointing with a growth rate of one per cent over the last five years. The State had made a marked shift in focus by giving priority to the farm sector in the 11th Five Year Plan. The State was set to implement two new schemes, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana and National Food Security Mission, to accelerate the farm growth rate and to ensure food security for all, he said.

He said 30.7 million tonnes of sugarcane was produced in the State annually and sugar production touched 1.7 million tonnes. The growers had not been getting satisfactory returns for the supply of cane. “The genuine demand of our farmers for a forward-looking policy that will ensure remunerative prices to farmers is under consideration,” Mr. Thakur said.

He said that in the current year, 13 cooperative sugar factories, which were closed down, had been leased out to private sector to start crushing operation. Keeping in view that cane production had been increasing every year, 16 new sugar factories had been permitted in the private sector to safeguard the interest of growers. He said the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme would be extended from 11 districts to all districts from April. Jobs had been provided to 3.27 lakh households.

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