Pul pleads Centre for fund enhancement

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITAGAR, March 30: Aruchal Pradesh Chief Minister Kalikho Pul has pleaded the Centre for enhancement of fund from the existing Rs 12000 to Rs 40,000 per unit of Individual House Hold Latrine (IHHL).

While highlighting the border sensitiveness of the state and its difficult terrain, the chief minister made the plea during a meeting with Union Minister of State for Drinking Water & Sanitation Ram Kripal Yadav in his office here yesterday, an official release informed here today. Pul informed the cost of construction materials are very high in the state owing to difficult terrains and high cost of transportation. He pressed for modification of the present half concrete structure to a full concrete structure for longer durability and also to provide fund for a complete set of toilet with attached bathroom. The chief minister assured the union minister to achieve the target of cent per cent open defecation free by 2022 and sought the support from the centre to provide special package for the North east.  He also sought the centre to provide fund from some other altertive means as progress of various developmental projects in the state are in stake due to non-materialization of loan from World Bank, Asian Development Bank, BRICS etc.

He expressed gratitude to the Centre that has always been positive about the development of this border state.

PHED & WS Minister Lombo Tayeng, Alo Libang, Parliamentary Secretary also spoke on the occasion.  

The Centre has released an additiol fund of Rs 8.71  crore to the government of Aruchal Pradesh under the Public Health Engineering & Water Supply (PHED & WS) department, the union minister informed.

Yadav reiterated that Prime Minister, rendra Modi is giving special emphasis to the North East and the central govt is very keen towards the development of the region, particularly the border state of Aruchal with special focus on its intertiol border.

He informed that north east is getting the highest allocation of fund in the recent fund distribution among the states in the country.

Yadav appealed the state government to make Aruchal an Open Defecation free by 2019, before the tiol target of 2022. He also appealed the state to emulate small state like Sikkim which has become an open defecation free state, urging to focus more on remote and interior areas.

Satisfied with the achievement made by the state government in Drinking Water & Sanitation, he assured all possible support and help from the union government in the developmental are of the state and asked the state government to send proposals including for the pending ones.   

The union minister stressed on water supply connection along with the sanitation saying that without water supply, sanitation is incomplete.  

He lauded the efforts of the state government for putting a huge target of 40,000 Individual Household Latrine (IHHL) in the state budget 2016-17 and assured to extend all possible support from the Centre. He also appreciated the way IHHL are being implemented in the state.

Urging the department to take up the toilet construction in schools under the CSR schemes of the PSUs operating in the state, the union minster informed that Prime Minister has given directives to all the PSUs to invest in sanitation, the release added.