New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) Only about 400,000 villages of a total of 1.6 million — or just about one in four — in India have partial drinking water facility, the Rajya Sabha was informed Tuesday.
‘Against a total of 1,664,186 habitations…477,426 habitations have been partially covered with adequate and safe drinking water supply,’ said Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation Jairam Ramesh in a written reply.
The government has allocated Rs.40,150 crore (over $8 billion) for water supply in rural areas in the Eleventh Five Year Plan.
In the first four years, ‘against a target of 653,798 habitations, the states have been able to cover 529,967 rural habitations with adequate and safe drinking water supply’, he said.
