The state government alerted officials of Bundelkhand region against a possible drought during the summers and instructed them to initiate required measures for ensuring availability of drinking water.
For taking a stock of the situation, Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar visited Lalitpur district in Jhansi division on Saturday. He directed officials to ensure supply of drinking water to every village of the region and make arrangements for water tankers.
Kumar said that in view of water scarcity in Bundelkhand, the government was working on a project for water conservation based on technology from Israel. He asked officials to ensure that no one was adversely affected by a possible drought in Jhansi division as there was no dearth of funds for relief and welfare schemes.
Addressing a meeting of farmers, Rajiv Kumar said that the state government has already released adequate funds for drinking water and other development schemes for Bundelkhand. He directed officials to prepare an action plan in consultation with elected representatives including schemes to be implemented under relief programme by the state government. Officials were asked to attach top priority to the work so that the funds were released at the earliest.
The Chief Secretary also inspected houses constructed under PM Gramin Awas Yojna and toilets constructed under sanitation programme.
Kumar later met the common people and enquired from them whether benefits of various government welfare programmes were reaching the beneficiaries.
The top bureaucrat directed officials to regularly tour districts under their jurisdiction for redressal of grievances of the masses. He said that besides ensuring facility of drinking water and basic education, solar power generating units also be set up in villages of Bundelkhand region. Officials were also asked to provide fodder to stray cattle in the region.