Question : Water Scarcity

(a) whether it is a fact that severe water scarcity has forced some educational institutes in the country to declare advance holidays;

(b) if so, the details thereof; and

(c) the action taken by the Government in this regard?

(a) to (c): The Central Government does not maintain the list of educational Institutions which have declared advance holidays due to severe water scarcity. However, one Institution namely Gandhigram Rural Institute (Deemed to be University), Tamil Nadu has reported that due to severe water scarcity, the Institution was forced to close during the year 2014 for about 3 weeks. For the current year, the Institution has rescheduled its working days in such a way that semester examinations are conducted before the situation gets worse. University Grants Commission (UGC) has sanctioned Rs. 2.00 Crore to Gandhigram Rural Institute, Tamil Nadu for the purpose of implementing water supply project under the Cauvery Combined Water Supply Scheme of Tamil Nadu on the Campus. Further, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Karnataka, which is a private deemed to be university, has reported that due to anticipated water shortage in May, had scheduled to conduct examinations in Technical and Management side only in the first week of May as against 3rd week of May. This was done in the beginning of the semester itself.