Chandrababu Naidu stresses need for water conservation to improve levels

Amaravati: Directing officials to focus on areas having groundwater table at above 15 metres depth, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu stated that water conservation was the only solution to the problem.

Speaking during a teleconference with officials on Neeru-Pragati on Monday, Naidu stated that drip irrigation, contour bund and other water saving methods should be encouraged in the areas. 

The State government targeted to do works worth at least Rs 10,000 crore under MGNREGA this year. Already, under the programme, about Rs 8,200 crore was sanctioned for the State. Additional Rs 1000 crore would be secured by improving efficiency in the MGNREGA works, the Chief Minister said.

He informed the officials that the government already released wage component fund of Rs 719 crore and the remaining Rs 83 crore under the same head would be released shortly. Naidu asked officials to ensure that they strictly complied with the rules. 

Ensuring accountability and transparency in the material component and wage component was essential, he said. Even after completing the works under the MGNREGA programme, the State government has been facing problems in getting the funds, Chandrababu Naidu informed the officials. 

Expressing anger over delay in some works, he said officials were adopting a laid back attitude in the first quarter and they were executing works in a hurried manner in the last quarter. 

Stating that the government was facing challenges as the Centre had failed to fulfil the assurances made in AP Reorganisation Act, he said,” We should overcome the hurdles by executing works efficiently.”