Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday stressed on the importance of using urban waste water for irrigation in adjoining rural areas.
He said remote sensing and space technology can be used to identify blocked water channels, which can then be targeted for desiltation through public participation.
Modi made these comments during a high-level meeting on the drought and water scarcity in parts of the state with Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his team in New Delhi.
The PM said he was holding separate meetings with Chief Ministers of drought-affected states to assess the specific requirements of each, and to focus attention on both immediate and long-term measures.
An amount of Rs 712.62 crore has been released to TS under the National Disaster Response Fund, after adjustments of the state balances. This is in addition to Rs 205.5 crore released as Central share of State Disaster Response Fund for 2015-16 to TS.
A further amount of '108 crore has been released as first instalment of SDRF for 2016-17. Several historical examples, as well as best global practices in the area of water storage and irrigation were discussed.
Mr Rao thanked the PM for launching Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, which he described as a very good scheme for farmers and thanked him for the amendments to CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority) Act.
The PM appreciated Mr Rao’s suggestion of delineation of the entire country into ‘crop colonies’, so that specific strategies could be evolved accordingly.
Referring to soil health cards, the PM asked Mr Rao to come up with a model plan. The meeting ended with a resolve on the part of the Centre and State to work together, according to the PMO.
