Bengaluru: The state government has taken up an ambitious drinking water project for rural areas, where it intends to spend over Rs 53,000 crore in the next five years. Announcing this in the budget, Chief Minister Mr H.D. Kumaraswamy said that a detailed project report(DPR) would be prepared to implement the project, Jaladhare, through the RDPR department, where purified water from rivers or reservoirs would be supplied to rural areas.

Besides, a multi-village drinking water supply project would be taken up in Mahadevapura, Chikka Ankanahalli, K Shetty Halli and 16 other villages at a cost of Rs 24 crore and in Gamanahalli and 13 other villages at a cost of Rs 18.90 crore in Srirangapattana taluk. In the minor irrigation sector, the government plans to bring water from Hemavati river for drinking purposes to 160 tanks coming under Dudda and Shanthigrama hobli in Hassan district, Rs 70 crore has been earmarked for this. Another Rs 30 crore has been earmarked for filling the tank at Dudda using water from Lokapavani river in Mandya district.





Another Rs 100 crore has been allotted to extend the irrigation facility from Krishna River to about 10225 hectares land at Hirekodi, Nagarala and Nez in Chikkodi taluk, Belagavi district. The government also intends to complete all irrigation projects in the next five years. Meanwhile, the old age pension under Sandhya Suraksha scheme has been increased from Rs 600 to Rs 1000.