HYDERABAD: Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad will inaugurate the muchpublicised Indira Jala Prabha (IJP) scheme at Jangalapalli village in Yerragondapalem mandal in Prakasam district on October 2 (Gandhi Jayanti).Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and several others will also attend the programme which is meant to make 10 lakh acres of fallow lands cultivable to benefit SC/ST beneficiaries in 22 districts of the state (except Hyderabad).About Rs. 1,800 crore will be spent to irrigate and cultivate 10 lakh acres of fallow lands by providing water from bore wells and other water structures.The chief minister held a meeting at the Secretariat on Friday to review the arrangements for the launch of the scheme.He appealed to people, particularly the political parties in Telangana, that agitations should not come in the way of such a noble development and welfare programme meant to benefit SCs and STs.He hoped that the programme would soon be launched in Telangana districts as well since the lands have been identified, bore wells and water structures were getting ready and funds were also allocated.The programme will be launched in 245 blocks covering 211 Assembly constituencies. It will be initially launched in 135 blocks in 111 constituencies between October 2 and 13. IJP is a MGNREGA- RIDF convergence project to change fallow and uncultivated lands into cultivated irrigated lands.Free power supply will be provided to all blocks.According to a press release, Kiran Kumar Reddy will launch the IJP in Anantapur on Oct 7. Ministers, district-in-charge ministers, MLAs and other public representatives concerned will launch the programme at other places in the state. Of the proposed 10 lakh acres of fallow lands to be irrigated and cultivated, about 5.38 lakh acres will be in Telangana, 1.89 lakh acres in Rayalaseema and 2.73 lakh acres in coastal Andhra.Out of Rs. 1,800 crore, about Rs. 1,000 crore will be spent in Telangana districts.However, the launch of the programme will be delayed in Telangana due to the ongoing agitation.Rural development minister D Manikya Vara Prasad, principal secretary (rural development) R Subrahmanyam, agriculture commissioner Jayalakshmi, I&PR commissioner B Venkatesham and other senior officials attended the review meeting.
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