Uttarakhand Government submits to Centre the Rs 9,478 crore Ganga Action Plan
The Uttarakhand Government has submitted an Action Plan worth Rs 9,478 crore, for cleaning the Ganga river from Gaumukh to Haridwar. The Plan proposes to set up new sewage systems at 132 locations and new solid waste management systems along with constructing 590,000 toilet facilities at 730 locations. The State Government is also planning to replicate Gujarat's Sabramati river model.
Delhi Metro responsible for the depleting water table in the city: CGWB
The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has blamed the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for carrying out large-scale, illegal and unscientific de-watering, which is adversely affecting the groundwater situation in the capital. Even the National Green Tribunal has sought a response from the DMRC on the illegal extraction of groundwater during construction that has led to the drying of water bodies near the Red Fort. However, DMRC has rubbished all the allegations on unauthorised extraction of groundwater.
Centre's irrigation scheme likely to get delayed
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana, the new Government's ambitious scheme to provide irrigation facilities to all farms, might not get implemented before 2016-17. The Government had allocated Rs 1,000 crore to the scheme, but due to the delay it is likely to cost Rs 1,500 crore. According to officials, procedural delays are responsible for the delay in implementing the programme.
16 World Bank mission rates Punjab's rural water supply scheme as the best
The 16 World Bank mission has rated Punjab the best in the country for implementation of the Punjab Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (PRWSS) project Phase-I, worth Rs.1280 crore. It has also declared the scheme as a model project and calls for replication of this project in other parts of the country. The project has exceeded implementation targets under the water supply component by 127%, provided water connections to each rural household and has also ran about 50 schemes daily.
Centre reconstitutes the Wildlife Board
Following criticism from green activists and experts, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has reconstituted the new National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). The NBWL now has nearly 47 members, 10 of whom are a part of its standing committee. Although the Centre claims that the new NBWL conforms to the norms outlined by the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, activists say that nothing has changed and the new Board is as toothless as the earlier one.
This is a weekly roundup of important news from September 15-21, 2014. Also read last week's policy matters updates.