Eastern Raj canal project a victim of Vasundhara vs Shekhawat fight: CM

Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Saturday that the ambitious Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) has become a victim of the “Vasundhara-versus-Shekhawat fight” in the state BJP. “The project (ERCP) was conceived by the Vasundhara Raje government, and my government wants to take it forward. But the Union water resources minister (Gajendra Singh Shekhawat) is putting hurdles in it ever since he became the minister for water resources. This could have resulted from the internecine fight within BJP,” said Gehlot at a press conference on the fourth anniversary of his government.
Gehlot said the state government has allocated Rs 9,600 crore for ERCP in the 2022-23budget and that construction of Isarda Dam under the project is going on in Tonk. “If ERCP is not implemented, water taps being installed under Jal Jeevan Mission in the 13 districts covering about 40% of Rajasthan’s population will become useless. The longer the delay in granting ERCP the national project status, the higher will be the project cost,” said Gehlot, accompanied by AICC general secretary in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, PCC president Govind Singh Dotasra, ministers and senior officials.
He brushed aside criticism over the revival of Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for state government employees, saying India witnessed development even when OPS was in place. “OPS will continue in Rajasthan as pension is a state subject,” he added, calling upon other states to revive OPS. He also demanded a uniform policy for social security in the entire country and said the Centre should come forward to make the policy.
“Rajasthan is the only state among the big states of the country, where 7% of the budget is being spent on healthcare, whereas Gujarat spends only 5.6%. The system of free medicines, tests, and Rs 10 lakh medical coverage has secured the health of the people,” said Gehlot.
Extolling the work done by his government in the field of education in the state as “unforgettable,” the CM said, “As many as 1,639 Mahatma Gandhi Government English Medium School units have been opened in these four years, and about 3 lakh children are studying there.” In the past three years, 211 new government colleges have been opened in the state, which include 94 are girls’ colleges. Now there has been a huge decline in girls dropping out after 12th class, and girls studying in government colleges outnumber boys.”
“Rajasthan ranks first in the country with a 16,000 MW solar energy capacity. An investment of Rs 1 lakh crore has been made in the solar sector in the state, free domestic electricity is being supplied up to 50 units, and a rebate of Rs 3 per unit up to 150 units and Rs 2 per unit up to 300 units is being given. This has resulted in reducing the electricity bill of about 38 lakh consumers to zero,” said the CM.
Gehlot also mentioned various social security pensions being given to about 1 crore people, 25 days of additional employment being provided by the state government under MNREGA, implementation of Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme for employment guarantee in cities, and OPS for government employees. “Worries about the future have been removed,” he said.
During lockdown, 33 lakh helpless families were given Rs 5,500 in instalments, and a special package of Rs 50,000 was given to each Covid widow and orphan, which included one-time assistance and pension, said Gehlot.