Chitradurga/Chamarajnagar/Kolar/Vijayapura/Kalaburagi: Minister for Social Welfare and Chitradurga district in-charge H. Anjaneya has said that 200 villages in the State would be developed with the Rs. 80 crore released by the government under the Prime Minister’s Adarsh Gram Scheme.

Speaking after inaugurating a road constructed under the scheme at a cost of Rs. 30 lakh in Holalkere taluk of the district on Monday, the Minister said that he is president of the implementation committee for the Prime Minister’s Adarsh Gram Scheme and a total of five districts, Chitradurga, Chamarajnagar, Kolar, Vijayapura and Kalaburagi, have been selected for the scheme. In these five districts, 200 villages where the population of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes is more than 50 % have been selected for development.

The Union government has released Rs. 40 crore for the scheme and the State government would contribute Rs. 40 crore.

“In the selected villages, development works, including cement concrete roads, community halls, toilets, solar lamps, waste management units, renovation of temples and mosques and interior roads, would be taken up.

In Chitradurga district, 45 villages have been selected under the scheme. Of these, 14 are in Holalkere taluk, seven in Hiriyur taluk, seven in Chitradurga taluk, six in Challakere, six in Hosadurga and five villages in Molkalmuru taluk.

Since all the six taluks in the district are suffering from severe shortage of drinking water owing to drought for the fifth year in a row, the officers concerned have been instructed to take up drought relief works on a war-footing. Steps have been taken to supply ample quantity of drinking water to people through tankers and ensure proper supply of fodder for animals.

The authorities concerned have opened goshalas in different taluks of the district to ensure that animals get drinking water and fodder.

There are plans to open more goshalas depending on the requirement in the district, he added.