Haryana Government assures safe drinking water, faster crop relief
CM Saini flags plastic threat; ministers outline health, rural plans
Call for awareness drives
Expressing concern over single-use plastic, the Chief Minister termed the issue “extremely important” and urged public representatives to lead awareness efforts, warning that plastic posed serious environmental and health risks.
The Haryana Government on Thursday reiterated its commitment to providing tap water to every household and ensuring safe drinking water across the state.
Public Health Engineering Minister Ranbir Gangwa, speaking during question hour of the ongoing budget session of the Vidhan Sabha, said the state was committed to ensuring clean drinking water in every home. He added that the department was also working to provide potable water in newly developed regular colonies.
Raising concerns over water quality, Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal urged the government to conduct regular checks. “The recommended TDS should be less than 500 mg/l while WHO recommends 300 mg/l. The number of cases of cancer, dehydration and other diseases is increasing. The quality of water should be checked at the water works to ensure safe drinking water is being supplied,” she said.
Responding, Gangwa said to ensure water quality, samples from each source were chemically tested every year.
On crop compensation, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, replying to Congress MLA Balram Dangi, said nearly 9,000 farmers from 30 villages had been compensated for crop damage. He said under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Centre ensured that compensation for natural calamities was transferred directly into farmers’ bank accounts, and the state had adopted a similar model.
He informed the House that around Rs 6.5 crore had been disbursed to farmers in the Meham Assembly constituency.
“Under Congress rule, the patwari would sit in the village chaupal and note down the names of a few farmers who served them. In contrast, the patwaris have to submit written reports to the government whenever a farmer’s crop is damaged. Moreover, separate slabs have been created for compensation, and the government is ensuring that full compensation reaches the farmers,” he said, triggering protests from Congress MLAs.
The Chief Minister asserted that action would be taken against anyone found at fault and that no eligible farmer would be deprived of compensation.
Health Minister Arti Singh Rao said under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, healthcare services were being strengthened. She said the scheme offered 2,694 treatment packages covering surgeries, day-care procedures, medicines and diagnostics. As of February 20, there were 1,38,47,905 active Ayushman cards in the state.
Rao also announced that a cath lab would be set up on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis at Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College. A Department of Cancer Sciences would also be established at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya University of Health Sciences. Super-speciality interventional cardiology services, including cardio-thoracic surgery, would soon begin at KCGMC under the PPP model.
Saini added that 10 district-level hospitals had already been upgraded and dedicated to the public, while others were being enhanced.
Development and Panchayats Minister Krishan Lal Panwar said villages with over 10,000 residents had been granted “Mahagram” status and were being equipped with urban-style sewerage and infrastructure.
Minister Krishan Bedi said three new sectors were being considered in Samalkha, with nearly 498 acres to be procured via the e-Bhoomi portal. Minister Arvind Sharma said a proposal to allot land to the Bar Association in Ratia for a bar room was under consideration.
