Haryana Development and Panchayats Minister Devender Singh Babli said that Haryana is geared to launch the 'Amrit Sarovar Mission' on the occasion of International Labour Day on May 1, 2022 from Nahra village of Sonipat district. He added that this is being done while taking forward the initiative of 'Amrit Sarovar Mission' launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of Panchayati Raj Day across the country on April 24, 2022.

This information was given by Development and Panchayats Minister Devender Singh Babli while addressing a press conference organized on 'Amrit Sarovar Mission' at Haryana Niwas here today.

He said that under the Mission, in the first phase work of renovation, development and waste water management of 1,650 ponds will be done, on which about an estimated amount of Rs. 900 crore will be spent. He said that on May 1, a State Level Programme will be organized from Nahra village of Sonipat district. All the Ministers, MPs and MLAs of Haryana will join the programme virtually from their respective areas. On this day, 'Amrit Sarovar Mission' will be started from one village each in all 10 Lok Sabha and 90 Assembly Constituencies of the state.

It is worth mentioning that in the series of programmes in order to celebrate the 75th Amrit Mahotsav of Independence, Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi has announced the construction/renovation of 75 ponds in each district across the country under the 'Amrit Sarovar Mission'. These ponds will be on an area of at least one acre.

The Minister for Development and Panchayats informed that the first phase of this Mission is to be completed by August 15, 2023. He said that the Haryana Pond and Waste Water Management Authority was constituted by the present State Government in the year 2018, under which the water of rural area ponds was treated with a three-pond and five-pond system and the treated water will be further used for Irrigation and other utility purposes. Plans have been prepared for the work of renovation and development of about 6,500 ponds in 3,430 villages of the state, on which an amount of about Rs. 3,500 crore is estimated to be spent. The target is to complete this scheme by March 2024. So far, the waste water management work of 750 ponds has been completed.

He said that the Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will launch the 'Amrit Sarovar Mission' on International Labour Day on May 1. The work of renovation of ponds is to be done through labourers and this work will also be linked to MGNREGA. He said that so far the capacity of 7,542 ponds has been increased under MGNREGA, on which about Rs. 114 crore has been spent. Apart from this, 4,083 new ponds were also constructed under MGNREGA. He said that under the 'Amrit Sarovar Mission', the work of renovation of 219 additional ponds would be done under MGNREGA, on which an estimated amount of Rs. 12 crore will be spent.

He said that the natural flow of water from the villages should be towards the ponds, for which the work of making pucca drains in the villages would be completed first and after treating it, it would be used for other works as well.

Additional Chief Secretary, Development and Panchayat Department Amit Jha informed that according to the survey conducted by Harsak in Rural and Urban Areas in the state there are 34,000 small and big ponds, out of which geo-mapping and tagging of 18,829 Haryana ponds and waste water is being done by the Management Authority. Apart from this, the land of Shamlat land, Gaucharan land and natural ponds have also been identified in the villages.

During the Press Conference Director, Haryana Development and Panchayat Department, Dhirendra Khadgata, Executive Vice-Chairman of Haryana Pond and Waste Water Management Authority, PK Verma, besides other officers were also present.