Karnataka has emerged top performer in the country in management of rural drinking water schemes and devolution of powers to panchayat raj institutions (PRIs) in 2012-13 and received an incentive of Rs. 241.1 crore from the Union government.
Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, which evaluated the performance of all States in the implementation of rural drinking water schemes based on Management Devolution Index, ranked Karnataka as the top performer among 28 States in “rural population managing rural drinking water supply schemes”.
The Centre grants incentive fund based on the performance in the devolution of powers to the PRIs, cost recovery and adoption of better management practices in rural drinking water supply schemes under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme, State government officials told The Hindu on Friday.
The State received Rs. 98 crore as incentive in 2011-12.
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The Union Ministry directed the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department to utilise the incentive fund for increasing drinking water coverage, sustainability, and organisation and maintenance of the drinking water supply schemes. Officials said Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra secured second and third places, respectively, and got Rs. 182.1 crore and Rs. 114.29 crore as incentive.
The Centre granted a total of Rs. 976.5 crore as incentive to various States in 2012-13. While Gujarat received Rs. 41.19 crore, Tamil Nadu got Rs. 100.48 crore.
Three states — Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Jammu and Kashmir — received no incentive.
Officials said there were 59,577 rural habitations in the State and 26,498 of them had been ensured piped water supply. Local bodies had been recovering 65 per cent of the maintenance cost of water supply schemes.
Cost recovery
The cost recovery was more than 70 per cent in the districts of Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada and Shimoga on account of formation of village water and sanitation committees. The cost recovery was less than 25 per cent in majority of the north Karnataka districts, RDPR officials said.
Each household is charged Rs. 30 a month for connection of piped water supply.