Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh announced a cash award of Rs five lakh to the top performing panchayat in rain water harvesting in the State.
While speaking at a meeting with elected members of the Panchayati Raj Institutions and Autonomous District Councils of the State at the chief minister’s secretariat complex in Imphal, Singh emphasized on the importance of conserving rain water.
He said that people must find ways to harvest rainwater for farming purposes during the lean season.
The chief minister also added that the state minor irrigation department has launched rain water harvesting schemes in most of the hilly areas of the state at a cost of Rs two crore each.
He added that the pradhans, zilla parishad members and officials of the panchayat which excels in rain water harvesting will be honoured by the government at a state level function.
Singh also said that rainwater harvesting and ground water conservation at grassroots level has been the brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the water crisis in rural areas of the country.