Irrigation, higher education sectors progressing: Netam

Says irrigation capacity increased from 25% to 33.15%

Govt to open 18 colleges, 7 ITIs, 3 polytechnics

House passes demand for budgetary grants of Rs 2345.80 cr for water resources, ayacut, higher education, science and technology, technical education and manpower planning departments

Raipur, March 04, 2013

Water resources, ayacut, higher education, science and technology, technical education and manpower planning minister Ramvichar Netam says that irrigation and higher education sectors had progressed well in recent years. “Irrigation is top priority of our government. The state’s irrigated area increased from 14.53 lakh hectare in year 2003 to 18.5 lakh hectare in year 2012. This is how its irrigation capacity increased from 25% (2003) to 33.15% (2012),” he said while speaking during debate over demand for budgetary grants of Rs 2345.80 crore for his departments at state assembly on Monday. The House passed demand for grants for all these departments through voice vote.

Pointing that 80% of Chhattisgarh’s population depends on agriculture sector, he linked state’s development with government’s efforts to increase crop area.

He admitted that local and farmers were more aware about good schemes than the departmental staffers. 

With abundant forests in state, he said, too many schemes could not start timely due to delay in approval from union ministry for environment and forests. “However, the environment department has relaxed its norms and now there are les obstacles to get approved any scheme than before,” he added. 

He informed the House that 31.08% of groundwater was being used for irrigation. He said irrigation status in 14 development blocks was semi-critical due to excess consumption of water. He felt that the government needed to launch a special scheme to ensure supply of sufficient irrigation water to those blocks.

He said the government completes small irrigation projects at faster rate than the major ones. 

He further said the government was focussing on groundwater conservation projects and therefore constructing anicuts to stop wastage of water. 

Denying opposition’s allegations that the state administration stalls project approvals, he said rather the administration approved 185 irrigation projects worth Rs 2944 crore in 2012-13. This project will irrigate about 80182 hectare agricultural lands, he added.

On higher education he said the government made strong efforts to encourage the sector. “To provide better education to youth the government has opened colleges in remote areas of Bastar and Sarguja. We have also opened large number of colleges in tribal regions,” he said.

He said the government would open 18 colleges, seven ITIs and three polytechnics in 2013-14. The government has made a provision of 450 posts fro these colleges. Besides, community colleges will be established in Raipur and Raigarh women’s polytechnics.

He informed the House that presently there are seven government universities and six private ones. He said government would also commence professional courses in varsities. 

He said he would not tolerate irregularities in higher education department and would take stern action against the guilty ones. He announced in the House to open science centres in Jagdalpur and Ambikapur. He also announced to open four new colleges in Setganga (Mungeli), Kharora (Raipur), Lakhanpur (Sarguja) Nawagarh (Janjgir-Champa). 

The debate was participated by MLAs - Agni Chandrakar, Paresh Bagbahra, Dharamjeet Singh, Virendra Sahu, Domanlal Korsewad, Kheduram Sahu, Chaitram Sahu, Phoolchand Singh, Dr Renu Jogi, Devjibhai Patel, Saurabh Singh, Pratima Chandrakar, Bhajan Singh Nirankari, Deepak Kumar Patel, Hridayram Rathiya, Shivraj Singh Usare, Bholaram Sahu and Devendra Bahadur Singh.

Rs 7 cr project to meet Raipur’s drinking water demand till 2040

Netam informed that the government had made provision of Rs 7 in budget 2013-14 for Dulna diversion project on river Mahanadi at village Dulna (Abhanpur block). “This project will meet Raipur’s drinking water demand till year 2040,” he said. 

Besides, the government has made provision of Rs 13 crore for construction of two anicuts in villages Tila and Ravar to supply drinking water to Naya Raipur, he said.