A Central team which visited a few lakes in old Medak district and Narsapur today praised Telangana Government for its efforts for reviving rural economy and provide employment opportunities through the flagship program of Mission Kakatiya aims to restore 46000 lakes in the state. The team comprises 30 irrigation officials from various states of New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha have visited a few lakes as part of their itinerary and found the flagship program a remarkable. They were all praise for the lakes restoration program a game changer of rural socio and economic conditions by giving boost to revival of caste based professions like fisheries and sheep rearing and stopping migration to empower them financially. The team praised Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for his vision for financial empowerment of rural people and to stop rural migration by involving them in the lakes restoration and offering them with employment opportunities. The flagship program will boost minor irrigation and also help overcome drinking water problem in the villages they felt.
The team head sought the officials concerned a two page blue- print as to how the Mission Kakatiya can be replicated in various states to revive lakes and push the minor irrigation for giving a fillip to the agriculture to increase farm produce. On their return the team will submit a report to the Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharathi who sent it for the study tour to Telangana. The team will hold meetings with irrigation officials at Hyderabad on Tuesday. The team interacted with the officials and sought to know about the details of the lakes restoration methods, funds spent, steps against corruption, expansion of agriculture, people involved, influence on other sectors and future responsibility.
Stating that the lakes revival will put a halt to drought situation the team expressed happiness over the positive results found in the villages including increase ground water table, increase of ayacut, irrigation to 90 per cent of crops, majority of tanks filled after a gap of 28 years and push minor irrigation, Tupran lake could irrigate 400 acres against 700 acres, Narsapur lake irrigate 445 acres against 510 acres and ground water level increased in 10 km area and prove handy for drinking water facility.
The team comprises CWC, CE CKL Das, KRMB Chairman SK Haldar, Krishna Godavari Basin Organisation CE RK Gupta and others. (NSS)