Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday announced a substantial increase in the annual grant to MLAs for development of their constituencies, raising it from Rs1.50 crore to Rs2.5 crore.
A statement said the move is aimed at expediting Gujarat’s advancement, contributing to national development, and bolstering the state’s position as a paradigm of growth and governance.
The chief minister has adopted a progressive approach to the grant allocation, encouraging MLAs to spearhead water conservation and rainwater harvesting projects in their constituencies, thereby strengthening the ‘Catch the Rain – Sujalam Sufalam Jal Abhiyan 2.0′ envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
An amount of Rs 50 lakh from the developmental grant to each MLA has been designated for water conservation and storage projects in their constituencies under the programme.
Since 2018, Sujalam Sufalam Jal Abhiyan is being implemented annually in Gujarat to ensure future water security by promoting rainwater harvesting and elevating groundwater levels.
This campaign includes various water conservation initiatives, including pond deepening, check dam desilting, canal maintenance, water stream restoration, earth embankment construction, and installing rainwater harvesting systems, executed with public participation.
The campaign, officials said, has augmented the state’s water storage capacity by approximately 1,19,144 lakh cubic feet, while generating employment equivalent to 199.60 lakh man-days.