The chief minister recently held a video conference with district collectors regarding implementation of the second phase of the scheme, which commenced on November 1, 2000. Mr Naidu said that all impending issues, like funds allocation and transfer of funds from various participating departments must be settled between the heads of departments and secretaries. Interestingly, a lot of collectors drew Mr Naidu's attention to the discrepancies between funds available at their level and as announced at the secretariat level.

For instance, the joint-collector, Vishakhapatnam, said though the irrigation department had sent him the fund availability position at the district level, the engineer concerned had no information and was still showing `nil' funds.

Sensing a problem with the augmenting of funds, Mr Naidu hinted at extending full powers to the district collectors with regard to the implementation of welfare schemes. He also instructed the ministers and secretaries concerned to sort out these problems at the earliest. Mr Naidu wanted the district collectors to be more assertive. However, some officials say that though all this may sound like the failure of the administration, the real situation is quite the other way round. The scheme was developed after taking into account central funds. And this where the hitch lies, says an official. Diversion of funds from one head to the other is not that simple, he adds.

Besides, some of the schemes under this programme were to be funded by the National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (Nabard). Though the schemes had been approved, funds are yet to be received, he said.

When officials pointed out this problem, the chief minister asked them to start the work using whatever funds available. Mr Naidu said the programme did not have budgetary support and as such the funds were pooled from various departments. He said reappropriation of funds was not unusual under compelling situations. He said at the time of the groundnut crisis in Anantapur, the government had to release Rs 10 crore. "Just because there is no provision in the budget does not mean you can leave the problem as it is", he said. He justified the reallocation and transfer of funds to the programme.

The "Neeru-Meeru" programme was conceived as a desilting scheme to improve water bodies in Andhra Pradesh. It was to take up work at over 7,300 irrigation tanks and the state cabinet had also proposed to continue the activity for a period of five years. This apart, a legislation was initiated to make urban dwellers participate in the activity. The legislation made it mandatory for residents in the municipalities to dig water harvesting pits.

Phase I of the Neeru-Meeru scheme went on for 214 days with an expenditure of Rs 190.17 crore. During the second phase, the government has grouped seven departments to participate in the programme. These include, forest, rural development, rural water supply, panchayati raj, municipal administration and urban development, minor irrigation and endowments.

The schemes in this phase include checking of dams, percolation tanks, farm ponds, gully control works, desilting of tanks, soil and moisture conservation works in temple lands by the endowments department besides urban water harvesting structures in municipalities and corporations to be implemented by the municipal administration department.