Vajpayee promises ‘Haryali’ revolution

A Rs 1,000-crore scheme dubbed Haryali was launched by Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee here to meet the severe water problem in different parts of the country. Following on the footsteps of the ‘Swajaldhara’ drinking water scheme launched last month, this project plans to give money to panchayats to promote rainwater harvesting, aquaculture, checkdams and small irrigation projects.

The Haryali scheme assumes significance considering this year’s drought. The PM urged the Centre and the states to work together and take necessary steps to effectively deal with the situation likely to emerge in summer months.