Question : INSTALLATION OF TUBE WELLS

(a) whether the Government is contemplating to increase the assistance amount for installation of tube wells from the existing Rs. 30, 000/- to Rs. 50, 000/- as the digging cost of tube well in the hilly and plateau land of Madhya Pradesh comes out to be Rs. 50, 000/-;

(b) if so, the time by which it is likely to be implemented for Madhya Pradesh;

(c) whether the Government is giving to discontinue target/allocation based rural water supply programme from the next financial year 2005- 06;

(d) if so, the reasons therefor; and

(e) the manner in which the drinking water facility is likely to be provided in the habitations with inadequate drinking water facility?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES (SHRI JAI PRAKASH NARAYAN YADAV)

(a) to (c) Rural Drinking Water Supply is State subject. The Central Government, however, provides financial assistance to the States to supplement their efforts in providing drinking water supply to the rural habitations through Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely, Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP). The States are empowered to plan, sanction, implement and execute individual rural water supply projects and no specific cost norms have been laid for this.

In 2003-04, Government initiated three schemes for installation of one lakh hand pumps, revival of one lakh traditional sources and provision of drinking water facilities to one lakh rural primary schools in two years (2003-04 & 2004-05) as announced by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on Independence Day, 2002. The cost norms for these were fixed on all India average basis and these were Rs. 34, 750/- per hand pump, Rs. 15,250/- per traditional source and Rs. 30, 000/- per school. The amount was released to the States as per these norms. The States were also authorized to dovetail funds from ARWSP (normal) and State resources in case the actual expenditure comes to be more than the cost norms. These schemes were only upto 31.03.2005.

(d)&(e) As stated above, the States are empowered to plan, sanction, implement and execute individual rural water supply projects.