Devolution of more powers to panchayats in the management of national rural drinking water mission and the issues of arsenic and shortage of drinking water will figure prominently at the two-day national conference of state ministers of rural drinking water supply and sanitation beginning in New Delhi tomorrow.

State Cabinet here on Wednesday took several important decisions. It decided to constitute Madhya Pradesh Water Corporation (MPWC) for implementation of group piped water schemes in rural area. The corporation will avail loans under prescribed procedure to run these schemes and other fiscal management. The Corporation will implement piped drinking water as well as sewage schemes in the urban areas as per requirement and supplying drinking water to families through water connections.

The centre has sanctioned Rs588 crore as a relief measure in the 15 drought-hit districts of the state, announced relief and rehabilitation minister Patangrao Kadam here on Tuesday. The money will be released soon, he added. Following the state’s demand of Rs1,500 crore towards the Calamity Relief Fund (CRF), a central committee visited a few of the affected tehsils across the state and recommended an assistance of Rs1083 crore. However, the centre has sanctioned Rs588 crore for now. Kadam said, the funds allotted by the central government will be distributed as per the set norms.

Sangli/Satara: It's not only the Centre's much-anticipated relief package that political parties are trying to hijack. Politicians cutting across party lines have been touring the 15 drought-hit districts of the state, doling out platitudes. These tours have now started rankling locals who believe the visits are nothing more than mere photo-ops. They say promises being made are rarely fulfilled and only leave them more skeptical about finding a way out of their parched future.

KOZHENCHERRY: Water Resources Minister P J Joseph said that the coverage of Japanese Drinking Water Scheme would be extended to more districts in the state. Inaugurating the Kerala Water Authority Staff Association state-level leadership training camp at Charalkunnu near here on Monday, P J Joseph said that the Japanese Drinking Water Scheme was confined to a few districts at present such as Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha. The scheme would be implemented in Ernakulam, Thrissur and Kottayam districts soon, the Minister said.

In an effort to help the areas reeling under the drought along the Maharashtra and Karnataka border, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan (pictured right), on Monday, sought help from the neighbour state. “I have urged the government of Karnataka to release water from its dam to meet the water crisis in 44 villages along the Maharashtra border,” said Chavan. “The situation in Sangli and Satara districts is of serious concern. The administration has been directed to deploy additional tankers to meet the drinking water requirements there.”

Foundation stones for six water supply and drainage schemes were laid in four villages of taluka Khairpur Nathan Shah and Mehar here on Monday.

MPA of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Imran Zafar Leghari laid the stones for the schemes in Fareedabad, Saeedpur, Aliwal and Mado villages.

He also announced construction of an inn and a road for Fareedabad and three roads linking Kachho with Faridabad.

The schemes, he added, would be financed under the MPA’s funds while the provincial government would finance the facilities including the inn and link roads.

The Housing Census 2011 has revealed that, although Uttarakhand has achieved considerable progress in provision of basic amenities, the number of mobile phone users in rural households is higher than the number of households with drinking water facility.

The chief of Directorate of Census Operations, Uttarakhand, Sneh Lata Agarwal, said that according to the household listing census 2011 on houses, households, amenities and assets for Uttarakhand, the percentage of tap water as source of drinking water has increased from 65.89 per cent in 2001 to 68.22 per cent in 2011.