PM lays foundation stone of Rs 5555 crore drinking water schemes in Vindhya region of UP
Sandeep Mitra
Uttar Pradesh Sarkaar Ne Kamaal Kiya Hai: PM Modi
Nothing less than a festival for the people of Vindhya region today : CM Yogi Adityanath
Lucknow/ Sonbhadra, November 22,2020. The long wait for the people of Sonebadra have waited for long for clean water in abondance. Today is the start of a new dawn for the people of Sonebhadra. Today, showering praise on Uttar Pradesh government for being able to maintain acceleration in development even during the Corona crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation stone of Rs 5555 crore 23 rural drinking water schemes in Vidhya region of the state under Jal Shakti Mission.
Expressing regret that the Vindhya and Bundelkhand regions of the state, which boasts of having rivers like Ganga, Sone, Shipra, Karmnasha, had to face water crisis due to government apathy since independence, he said. Now his government at the Centre and Yogi Adityanath’s government in the state have taken up the task to rid people of these regions of drinking water problems. “It is a matter of time when about 41 lakh people of about 3000 villages will get tap water in their homes, ” he announced while laying the foundation stone of the schemes at a virtual function in Sonbhadra in the presence of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and UP Jal Shakti Minister Mahendra Singh.
The PM said that in the near future, villagers of Vindhya region will not have to struggle for drinking water. Rural women are going to get rid of the arduous and painstaking efforts to carry water from miles away. Under the scheme, 1606 villages of Mirzapur and 1389 villages of Sonbhadra will get water through pipeline with the projects’ cost to the tune of Rs 2343.crore and Rs 3212 .18 crore in Mirzapur and Sonbhadra respectively. In addition, the ‘Atal Bhoojal Yojana’ will also augment the endeavour by conserving and purifying the lake and ponds water.
He did not mince his words while praising Uttar Pradesh government profusely for its pro-people approach especially during the crisis of Covid. ” He said UP CM Yogi Adityanath, his team and people of the state deserve all applause for what they did to take care of migrants and other harried lot during trying times of Corona,” he said going to the extent saying ” Uttar Pradesh Sarkaar Ne Kamaal Kiya Hai.”.
Reminding how the Yogi government did in containing the encephalitis which has taken thousands of lives of innocent children over the years. ” In fact, the Yogi government’s encephalitis management has been the most-talked about achievement and earned praise from experts as well,” the PM said. Adding he said “Yogi Ji cannot imagine how much blessings he must be receiving from the people of this state.”
Terming the day as historic, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that ever since independence for the past 70-75 years, only 398 villages of the Vindhya region had the facilities of drinking water and today, work has been started to supply pure drinking water to about 3000 villages. “Today is not less than a festival for the people of the Vindhya region as pure drinking water means freedom from diseases. The foundation is being laid to free people from diseases and the region will be freed from the problem of pure drinking water in the next one and a half years,” the CM said.
The Dhanraul Dam, which was built in 1917, is endowed with abundant water and till now, it was only used for irrigation purposes. Now, it will also serve as a medium for drinking water to the region, he added. “For the first time after independence, such a big project is being started in the Vindhya region. This region is also full of natural resources and given the immense possibilities of tourism, the airstrip is also being extended,” said the CM.
He said that while going by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of `Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas’, the government is carrying forward the developmental activities without any discrimination and for him, the interest of people is the interest of the country and the state.
The CM said the Sonbhadra administration is also preparing a coffee table book and we will be branding every small and big feature of the region through it. It will also help in employment generation. Sonbhadra is a tribal majority area and it will not be wrong if we call it the place of origin of tribes”, said the CM.