The Hindu : Five lakh tonnes of rice for panchayats

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 18, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Five lakh tonnes of rice for panchayats

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD April 17. The State Government has released five lakh tonnes of rice directly to gram panchayats from out of the Centre's recent allotment for generation of employment to labour as part of tackling the drought situation.

If the panchayats fail to provide work to wage seekers, action would be initiated against sarpanches, including suspension, and their responsibilities handed over to upa-sarpanches, the Panchayat Raj Minister, N. Janardhan Reddy, told newsmen here on Thursday.

Mr. Reddy asked the panchayats to ensure works to labour, which would fetch them six to seven kgs. of rice every day. The panchayats may immediately take up construction of water tubs for cattle by tying up with the rice programme. About 1.64 lakh tonnes of rice was unutilised out of the five lakh tonnes released in the last instalment in November.

Since the main reason for underutilisation of rice last time was that the labour did not come forward to take up works as they were unremunerative, the Government had decided to enhance the wages by 50 per cent over the Standard Schedule of Rates (SSR) wherever the problem of labour arose. The labourers are currently distributed rice equivalent to Rs. 83 as per SSR for an earth work of 2.6 cu.mts. but in some cases they got only two to three kgs. of rice.

Mr. Reddy warned the sarpanches against use of machinery or any delay in grounding the works. Apart from Rs. 196 crores released for drought relief works, the Government has kept at the disposal of district Collectors Rs. 209.26 crores under Accelerated Rural Water Supply (ARWS), NABARD, Minimum Needs Programme, Prime Minister's Grameena Yojana, Central Public Works and other schemes to meet the drinking water requirements. He asked the Collectors to spend the money as per the need.

The Minister called for measures on a war footing to meet the drinking water needs of rural masses. The gram panchayats may acquire private borewells, drill new ones and transport water. Funds were no constraint.

As far as drinking water is concerned, there were 192 problem villages in Cuddapah, 173 in Chittoor, 168 in Karimnagar and 68 in Krishna. Water was being transported to these villages, Mr. Reddy said.

Out of 2.67 lakh borewells in the State, as many as 17,062 had dried up. Eightyfive out of 30,800 protected water supply schemes had also become defunct.

The Minister also said that works costing Rs. 205 crores were identified under the Neeru-Meeru programme. Estimates for taking up construction of check dams and other structures were prepared.

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