(a) whether the Government has received any request for special package/ additional grant from various States including Rajasthan and Maharashtra under National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP);
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the reaction of the Government in this regard and the time by which package/ grant is likely to be released?
MINISTER OF STATE FOR DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION (SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA )
(a) and (b ) No Madam . The Ministry has not received any detailed proposal from any State Government including Rajasthan and Maharashtra for special package/Additional grant. However, Ministry has received a letter dated 07.06.2014 from Hon’ble Chief Minister , Rajasthan addressed to Hon’ble Minister, Drinking Water and Sanitation in which the State has projected an investment of Rs. 1,50,000 Crores over a period of ten years as a long term sustainable solution to provide drinking water to the population in the State through major surface water supply projects. Some States including Rajasthan and Maharashtra have also sought additional Central assistance to meet the contingency situation arising from drought like conditions in their States.
(c ) In response to this the Ministry has written to all the States that they should immediately repair or re-bore hand pumps and tube wells so as to keep them in proper order so that supply of drinking water is maintained. The payments for repair or re-boring of tube wells is to be made from the O&M components which is 15% of funds under the NRDWP with a matching contribution from the State Governments. In case of high water-stressed areas where water supply through tankers becomes inevitable to tackle drinking water supply, the same be deployed. However, the same is to be recouped later from State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) / National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) and 2% Calamity component of the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) , after a drought is declared by the State followed by visit of Inter Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) and orders of High Level Committee (HLC).
Under NRDWP guidelines, there is no provision of releasing special packages/additional grants to States/UTs. However, any additional release of funds under National Rural Drinking Water Programme to any State/UT can be made at the end of the financial year after taking into account the requirement of the State/UT, the extent of expenditure of the funds already released to the State/UT, and the availability of savings at the national level.