Raje launches 2nd phase of water conservation mission

JAIPUR: Chief minister Vasundhara Raje on Friday launched the second phase of Mukhyamantri Jal Swavalamban Scheme (MJSS), an ambitious state-wide campaign for water conservation, in Jhalrapatan amid much fanfare.
Raje said that the entire country including Prime Minister Narendra Modi had applauded the water conservation efforts made during MJSS, phase I, in Rajasthan. She appealed to the people to extend their support for the revival of water structures for making the state self-sufficient in water.
“Taking inspiration from our state, other states also want to replicate the water conservation campaign. Our efforts were also appreciated by the participants of BRICS summit and many countries including South Africa and Australia got inspired to adopt our model. We should set an example so that other states and countries continue to follow us,” said Raje, while addressing the crowd in village Devri on Friday.
Phase II would cover 4,200 villages at a cost of Rs 21,000 crore with high-tech applications. The scheme has been extended to urban areas as well to cover 190 towns and cities. Besides, the scheme would also be linked to PHED and agriculture department which extracts water for drinking and cultivation by earmarking the wells and tanks to be constructed and the crop pattern is decided according to the availability of water in the area. Also, provision has been made for the upkeep of plants under NREGA.
An official said that in a first-of-its-kind initiative, government would use drones for survey of villages and waypoint software mobile application. Using the software application, the control room at Jaipur could track the traversal path of the workers employed under the scheme.
MJSS was launched from Kadam Kund pond in Brahmpuri area on Friday. Later on, the stepwell at Padampura was to be launched.
Many BJP senior leaders and party workers including urban development and housing (UDH) minister Rajpal Singh Shekhawat and city mayor Nirmal Nahata gathered at Kadam Kund to launch the second phase of MJSS. However, till they reached the second venue, the crowd had almost halved. UDH minister expressed his disappointment in public over this issue.
UDH min’s sudden inspection at school: UDH minister Rajpal Singh Shekhawat conducted a sudden inspection of a government school situated in front of Jal Mahal. Five teachers, including the school principal, were found absent from the school without a leave application. The minister also pulled up the teachers present in the school when students were unable to tell the table of two. He claimed he will write to the eduction department over the issue.