Drinking water shortage in 3.14 lakh rural habitations: Govt
New Delhi: Over 3.14 lakh rural habitations do not have enough supply of safe drinking water which is contaminated in over 66,000 more habitations, the government said in Lok Sabha on Thursday. Union Minister Birender Singh said drinking water supply was less than the prescribed norm of 40 litres per capita day (lpcd) in “3,14,529 rural habitations” as on April 20. “Such habitations can be categorised as having shortage of drinking water,” Singh, the Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation, said during Question Hour. There are more than 16.96 lakh rural habitations and out of them, 13.16 lakh habitations were provided with 40 lpcd of safe drinking water. The Minister said the number of habitations having access to safe drinking water has increased since the inception of National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) in 2009-10.”The coverage of fully covered habitations has increased from 10,89,411 habitations on April 1, 2009 to 13,16,042 habitations and quality affected habitations have reduced from 1,79,999 habitations to 66,093 habitations (as on April 20, 2015),” he said.To a query on whether water levels in water bodies in the rural areas have declined, Singh said his Ministry does not maintain such data.”The issue concerns the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and as reported by them, there is no official information on reduction in water level of water bodies,” he noted. (PTI)
New anti-corruption helpine on social media by Haryana Vigilance
Chandigarh: Haryana State Vigilance Bureau has started new anti-corruption helpline on social media WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter where one can send complaint regarding corruption if any government officer seeks bribe or harasses them. A spokesman for Bureau today said new anti-corruption helpline on social media was in addition to the existing helpline number 1064 and 18001802022. Besides this, now complaint regarding corruption could be send at WhatsApp number 9417891064 and at Rohtak Vigilance Bureau Number 9050028244 or9050008241. Complaints regarding corruption could also be forwarded on facebook page www.facebook.com/svbharyana and twitter account www.twitter.com/svbharyana the spokesman added. (UNI)
Civil services exam:Candidates asked to download e-call letter for interview
New Delhi: Call letters for personality test will not be sent by post to the candidates who have cleared the civil services (main) examination, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has said. The personality test is likely to commence on Monday. The candidates will be required to produce the original certificates in support of their claims pertaining to age, educational qualifications, community, physical handicap and other documents such as questionnaire, attestation form and TA form, etc. at the time of their personality test, the UPSC said. The formats of Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Class and Physically Handicapped certificates and questionnaire, attestation form and TA Form, etc. can be downloaded from the website of the Commission. They are, therefore, advised to keep the said documents ready with them, it said. “No request for change in the date and time of the personality test, intimated to the candidates, will be entertained,” the UPSC said. (PTI)
Class XI boy held for raping 6-year-old girl
Chandigarh: A minor boy studying in class XI at a school here was arrested for allegedly raping a six-year-old girl, police said on Thursday. “The 17-year-old accused, a resident of Sector 49, lured the girl, who lives in his neighbourhood, to a deserted area nearby and raped her yesterday,” SHO Sector 34 police station Baljeet Singh said. Singh said after committing the crime the accused had dropped the victim back home. The accused has been arrested and a case registered against him. He said that while the girl’s mother works as a domestic help her father is an auto-rickshaw driver and the accused’s father works as a plumber . (PTI)
