January 28 2016, 18.13 PM IST || Pocket News Alert
· Over Rs. 7 crore collected on the first day of campaign in Jhalawar
· Over 3500 villages to benefit from programme implementation by June 2016
· The campaign aims to raise Rs 1200 crore from non-government sources to create water self-reliant villages
Jhalawar, 27 January 2016: The Rajasthan Chief Minister, Smt Vasundhara Raje, today launched Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan (MJSA), the country’s largest water conservation campaigns in rural areas. The campaign aims to enable over 21,000 villages in the State to become self-reliant in water by 2020.
Unique and unprecedented in India, the MJSA has been conceived as a people’s movement involving ordinary citizens, NGOs, corporates and social, religious and even caste organizations. It has been launched with the objective of seeking support – cash, kind and labour for watershed works in rural areas.
With a budget of Rs. 3,600 crore for the first phase of the campaign, ending on June 30, 2016, a shortfall of Rs. 1,200 crore has been estimated. This is sought to be met by crowd sourcing resources through the participation of both citizens and organizations of all hues.
Addressing the launch event of the campaign at Gardankheri village here, the Chief Minister stated, “We have collected over Rs 7.1 crore here today from local citizens, social groups and business leaders. The entire police force of the State has pledged to donate one day salary, totalling Rs. 8 crore, to MJSA. Then through the combined efforts and resources of the government and the people, we are determined to make a success of this State-wide drive.”
The Chief Minister has committed 6 months’ of her own salary to the campaign, the State’s cabinet ministers have committed 3 month’s salary, members of legislative assembly has committed 1 month’s salary and bureaucrats 1 day’s salary.
Communities and corporates are also being mobilised to construct or contribute in cash or voluntary labour (“shramdaan”) towards water conservation projects across the State.
Smt. Raje participated in the initiation of work in de-silting a dried up tank in the Gardankheri village.
The event was attended by public representatives including State Public Works (PWD) Minister, Shri Yoonus Khan and Member of Parliament from Jhalawar, Shri, Dushyant Singh and Shri Sriram Vedire, Chairman, Rajasthan River Basin & Water Resources Planning Authority and Advisor to the Union Ministry for Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation.
Along with Chief Minister Raje, ministers, MLAs, Panchayati Raj functionaries, Principal Secretaries and other senior bureaucrats of the State government inaugurated the campaign simultaneously in all 3500 villages across the 33 districts of Rajasthan.
