MUMBAI, Nov 18: The State government plans to float bonds to implement its ambitious village water supply scheme to make villages `tanker free' by 2000 AD. Under the scheme, the `Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran' will float bonds worth Rs 2,900 crore in instalments over the next two or three years to raise funds totalling Rs 7,100 crore for the project.

Of these, a provision of Rs 2,600 crore would be made in budgets over the next few years while Sumitomo Bank of Japan would lend Rs 1,000 crore to the project. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) would loan Rs 600 crore for the project.

The government also plans to collect Rs 10,000 crore through the Central Government sponsored Golden Small Savings Scheme which will amount to 75 per cent of the funds.

Under the scheme, 12,354 rural drinking water supply projects and 350 urban drinking water supply projects would be implemented in various parts of the State to rid villages of water scarcity.

Work on 2,166 rural and 147 urban projects was in progress at present, Joshi said, adding plans and estimates of remaining projects would be finalised by March 1998.

The government has already set up Jeevan Pradhikaran to coordinate among various government departments and agencies concerned and implement the schemes.

In another announcement the Chief Minister said that considering the loss suffered by farmers due to poor rains, black jowar will be purchased by the State government at the rate of Rs 260 per quintal.

This forms 73 per cent of the support price offered by the Central Government for jowar. A provision of Rs 5 crore will be made in the budget for the purchase of the grain.

Meanwhile, the State government has asked the Central government for a two-year extension on the implementation of the provisions of the Panchayat Raj (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) 1996 under the 73rd amendment even as it readied itself to introduce a Bill on the issue in the forthcoming winter session in Nagpur from December 15.

Announcing it today, Joshi said the Bill while giving more rights to the village panchayats for scheduled areas will also protect the land rights of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes in 11 notified areas of the State.

The Bill will also allow panchayats to take a decision regarding the exploitation of their natural resources. While pointing out the difficulties in implementing the Act, Joshi said that though changes in the State Panchayat Raj Act had been made, it has been difficult to implement the remaining provisions as they are either complex, having far reaching effects on the social fabric of the Scheduled Castes or are difficult to implement in the stipulated time frame.

Under the provisions of the Central Act, the State government is legally bound to give effect to the Act before December 23, 1997.Citing some of the problems, Joshi pointed out to `human sacrifices' being offered by some tribes. Without going into the merits of it, Joshi said that it was nonetheless a tradition, and pointed out that since the Act stipulates that every Gram Sabha be competent to safeguard and preserve the traditional and customs of the people and their cultural identity, it posed a problem. These were some of the issues that had to be resolved, he said, appealing for an extension of time period by the Centre.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.