Par panel expresses dismay over rural drinking water supply

Expressing dismay over the status of rural drinking water supply, a parliamentary panel today criticised the Centre for not providing adequate funds under this head in the 12th five year plan and said providing safe drinking water seemed to be a distant dream in the country.
In the report that comes in the backdrop of a drought in a number of states, the Standing Committee on Rural Development, headed by AIADMK leader P Venugopal, said, "The committee is dismayed to note that the most important sector of rural drinking water supply, directly affecting nearly half the population of the country, has been fund starved so far during the period of 12th plan."

Noting that the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has not received adequate funds commensurate to its requirement, the committee said under National Rural Drinking Water Programme the actual allocation was "barely" Rs 33,823 crore, less than half of the proposed allocation of Rs 68,786 crore.
"The committee feels that with availability of less than half of the proposed amount for rural drinking water, the herculean task of providing safe drinking water seems to be distant, considering the magnitude of the task, ahead of attaining 50 per cent rural coverage by 2017 in drinking water," the report said.
The panel said the water sector comprising 3.42 lakh partially-affected habitations and 59,881 quality covered habitations is "struggling with insufficient funds" during the 12th plan period even though the ministry came out with a strategic plan (2011-2021) for drinking water sector well before the commencement of the plan.

The committee noted that the budget of the ministry, which was Rs 10,500 crore during 2012-13 has been brought down to Rs 5,000 crore during 2016-17.

"In this connection, the Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MoDWS) has, highlighting the same, even pleaded before the committee for seeking its good offices for higher funds as per strategic plan.
"The committee feels that there is a strong case for more funds to be made available to the ministry for looking after the current needs of safe drinking water in rural areas," the report said.
The ministry also indicated before the committee that in order to tide over the problem of resources, the MoDWS has come out with an alternative of approaching external agencies like World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank etc.

The possibility of posing certain schemes from state governments for external financing is being explored and various requests particularly for large projects have been forwarded to Finance Ministry and Department of Economic Affairs, it said.
"The committee feels that besides issuing the Fourteenth Financial Commission Grants, the states/union territories may be asked to come up with more and more proposals for the necessary funding from foreign agencies," it said.