As many as 15 villages of Surguja district will be covered under 'Ground Water Supply Scheme', officials stated.
The State Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) has sanctioned an amount of Rs 17.4 crore for the plan.
As per the scheme, the water from Ghunghutta Dam will be supplied to these villages for drinking purposes.
Villages like Motipur, Bargai, Chhind Kalo, Koteya, Parsapali and libra under Ambikapur block will be receiving pure and safe drinking water.
State Public Health Engineering Department Minister Ramsevak Paikra has directed officials to begin the implementation of the scheme at the earliest.
Also, he has stressed on completing the works within the given time frame.
Some of the works under the scheme have been assigned to the concerned Panchayats of the villages.
Meanwhile, intensifying preparation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Jal Kranti Abhiyan’, the Chhattisgarh government has identified as many as 54 water villages in 27 districts of Chhattisgarh.
As per information received, two water villages each of the State have been identified for ‘Jal Kranti Abhiyan’. Of the 54 identified water villages, Integrated Water Conservation Programme have been chalked out for 40 villages.
Chief Minister Raman Singh and Water Resources Department Minister Brijmohan Agrawal have given specific directives to officials of concerned department for completing Integrated Water Conservation Programme for remaining 14 water villages.
Moreover, the Chief Minister recently held a meeting at his official residence to review the progress of works ongoing for ‘Jal Kranti Abhiyan’ recently.
The meeting chaired by the Chief Minister was attended by Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand, Secretary of Water Resource Department Dr B l Tiwari, Secretary of Commerce and Industry Subodh Kumar Singh and other senior officials.
As per information received, the objective of ‘Jal Kranti Abhiyan’ is to ensure effective measures for conservation and enhancement of water in villages dealing with water shortage. On June 5 this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the campaign to mark World Environment Day.
Under this campaign, works related to water conservation and community irrigation will be carried out by guaranteeing active participation of Panchayat Raj institutions.
By establishing better coordination with different departments, necessary initiatives will be moved for storing rain water and its effective management.
By utilizing different means, including information, education and broadcasting, public awareness programme will be carried out, informed officials, adding that for smooth execution of ‘Jal Kranti Abhiyan’, committees have been formed at State, district and block levels.
Notably, Chhattisgarh is among nine other states where the World Bank Assisted Project "Neeranchal" for the Watershed Component (Erstwhile Integrated Watershed Management Programme) of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana (PMKSY) would now be implemented.
The decision was taken at the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, officials stated.
Apart from Chhattisgarh, the scheme would be implemented in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana.
The total cost of the project is `2142.30 crore of which the Government's share is `1071.15 crore (50 percent) and rest is the loan component from the World Bank.