Rural Development and Panchyati Raj Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that water harvesting activities in rural areas is on priority for State Government and added that the Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Department is implementing various poverty alleviation programmes at an accelerated pace with the cooperation of various agencies.

The Minister said that the Department has notified the elaborate plan for implementing the announcement of the Chief Minister made on 15th August recently regarding providing one rain water harvesting tank to every family in rural areas. He said that department was making all out efforts to ensure quality in these structures and added that this would go a long way in promoting water harvesting activities in the State.

Jai Ram Thakur said that a workshop was also organized yesterday in this regard and representatives from Government and Private Universities, educational institutions including IIT, Mandi and NIT Hamirpur etc. etc. participated. He said that this was one of its kind organised for the first time in the State.