Water structures at 44,000 villages to be mapped under Jalyukta Shivar 3.0
All water conservation structures, except dams, will be mapped under the scheme -- check dams, farm ponds, K T Weir, contour bunds and watershed development.
2 min read
Each water conservation centre will be marked on the map using specific markings and they will be physically verified to analyse its present status. (Image: mrsac.maharashtra.gov.in)Water conservation structures in around 44,000 villages in Maharashtra will be mapped using the Geographic Information System (GIS) as part of the state government’s flagship scheme Jalyukta Shivar 3.0 aimed at making the state drought-free, officials said.
The exercise, which starts from the second week of February, will be undertaken by Maharashtra’s Soil and Water Conservation department in collaboration with Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application Center (MRSAC).
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed between the two bodies to facilitate the work using the GIS.
Each water conservation centre will be marked on the map using specific markings and they will be physically verified to analyse its present status.
“This will be the first-of-its-kind exercise where entire data of village-level water conservation structures will be collected. It will help understand the necessary works to be carried out in respective areas based on the present condition of the structures,” said Priya Khan, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) working with the CMO, with a responsibility of execution of the scheme.
All water conservation structures, except dams, will be mapped under the scheme — check dams, farm ponds, K T Weir, contour bunds and watershed development.
The water conservation structures to be mapped will include those constructed by the state government, local civic bodies, those built under the corporate social responsibility (CSR) or by NGOs in collaboration with locals.
In 2015, Maharashtra government had launched the Jalyukta Shivar scheme to make Maharashtra drought-free.
In its first version, a total of 22,000 villages were covered and works such as deepening and widening of streams, construction of cement and earthen stop dams, work on nullahs and digging of farm ponds were undertaken.
In 2022, Jalyukta Shivar 2.0 under then Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was approved which catered to around 5,000 villages. The new version of the scheme was a mix of technical and social approach towards water conservation. The social aspect involved spreading awareness about water literacy, water management and conservation principles.
You May Like
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Partha Sarathi Biswal, managing director of Biswal Tradelink Private Limited (BTPL), in connection with an alleged fake bank guarantee case. “A probe has revealed that BTPL fraudulently arranged and submitted fake bank guarantees of Rs 68.2 crore along with forged State Bank of India (SBI) endorsements and fabricated confirmations for a Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) tender. For providing this bank guarantee, BTPL received Rs 5.40 crore from Reliance Power Limited,” an official said. Seven days after searching multiple locations in Mumbai linked to Anil Ambani, the ED has summoned the industrialist on August 5 to join the investigation into a money laundering case linked to a multi-crore bank loan fraud involving companies of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The ED has also issued a lookout circular (LOC) to prevent him from travelling abroad. BTPL was one of the companies where the ED recently conducted searches. Biswal's arrest was made on August 1 and he was produced before a Delhi Court, which sent him to their custody till August 6. "We are planning to confront him with Anil Ambani during questioning and will try to verify some facts," an official said. The ED has initiated its investigation against BTPL based on an FIR registered by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Delhi Police, against the firm, its directors and others, for allegedly providing a fake bank guarantee which was submitted to SECI. “During the investigation, the ED has collected several pieces of evidence and they confirmed the use of fake documents in the name of certain banks and fake email IDs in the name of SBI. Probe has also revealed that BTPL, a small company incorporated in 2019, maintained multiple undisclosed bank accounts and carried out transactions disproportionate to its declared turnover. Many violations of the Companies Act are found, and no statutory records are found at registered addresses, such as books of accounts, shareholders’ registers, etc,” the official said. The probe also revealed that dummy directors were used solely to sign documents, and found at least seven undisclosed bank accounts of the company. “Proceeds of crime, of crores of rupees, have been traced to these accounts,” the official added. A spokesperson for Reliance Power said the ED case related to a bank guarantee. “The company and its subsidiaries acted bona fide and have been a victim of fraud, forgery and a conspiracy. The company has made due disclosure on this to the stock exchanges on November 7, 2024. A criminal complaint in this regard has already been lodged with the Economic Offence Wing of Delhi Police against the third party on October 16, 2024. The due process of law will follow," said the spokesperson.
Photos
