Government mulls water scheme for dalits

At least one village will be identified in each district and will be assisted through an integrated water security plan

Union water resources minister Uma Bharti on Sunday said that a new scheme, to be named after B.R. Ambedkar and aimed at dalit-majority villages facing acute water crises, is in the works. At least one worst-faring village will be identified in each district and would be assisted through an integrated water security plan, she said even as the country continues to reel under an intense heatwave.

The Union minister also said that a state-wise report has been sought on water storage on the basis of which state governments would be urged to expedite their projects, adding, “This is being done to speed up all water projects, like incomplete dams, which could be then used for both irrigation and drinking water.”

“My ministry has asked the Central Water Commission (CWC) to prepare a report about water storage in each state. We will then send this report to all state governments and they would be urged to finish all their water-related projects in time,” said the Union minister, who was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies.