H K Patil, a veteran cooperator as well as a Minister in Karnataka started a novel project of making potable water available to villagers in several districts of the state long time back. Now this cooperative project has been taken up by the state govt for extensive implementations.
The Karnataka govt will use cooperative bodies for installing and maintaining reverse osmosis (RO) plants to ensure supply of clean drinking water in rural areas through a network of 2,050 plants immediately across the state, reports Hindu.
Sources say the cooperative sector is willing to offer its services in this connection. The government will set up 4,000 such plants this year, sources add.
The government is likely to offer a grant of Rs. 5 lakh for each plant while the remaining money would have to be sourced from cooperatives and the MP’s and MLA’s Local Area Development Funds. Each RO plant would cost about Rs. 8 lakh.
The involvement of the cooperative sector is aimed to ensure people’s participation in the project so they use the plants with responsibility, say officials.
Experts say that availability of pure water prevents many kinds of ailment and cooperatives in other states should also focus on this.