Chief Minister Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal said that 602 selected panchayats of 10 districts where Mid Himalayan Watershed Project is being implemented at a cost of Rs. 365 crore has witnessed spectacular development. He said that an increase of nine percent had been registered in the income of the people of the area and five percent people falling under BPL category have come under APL category. Chief Minister was addressing the second meeting of Governing Council of Mid Himalayan Watershed Project, here today. He said that Rs. 175 crore is expected to be sanctioned soon under the second phase of the project and 102 additional panchayats would be covered under it. He further said that an amount of Rs. 540 crore would be spent under both phases of the project covering 702 panchayats. He said that Rs. 250 crore have been spent so far under the first phase of the project covering 38875 families.
Chief Minister stressed upon the participation of local people for effective implementation of the project and added that the State had won accolades at International level. The World Bank had also lauded the achievement which was a matter of pride for the State. He said that the officers of concerned departments, beneficiary families and people of the State deserve all praise for the success of the project. He said that maximum number of people should be covered under the project so that fruits of development could reach up to grass root level. He stressed upon constructing water harvesting structures and directed the officers to monitor the survival rate of the plantations. He gave necessary directions for better implementation of the project in Chamba and Sirmour Districts. He said that officers should make efforts to get more projects funded by external agencies sanctioned for socio-economic upliftment of the rural people and added that animal breeders should be provided quality fodder.
