Uttar Pradesh Jalshakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh holds considerable clout in the Bundelkhand region of the state. He is also the main force behind Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s dream ‘Har Ghar Jal’ project.

Starting his political career with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Singh (60) went to become the BJP state unit chief in 2019. Belonging to the backward Kurmi community, he represents Orai of Jalaun district of Bundelkhand. The minister spoke in detail about the work done by his department in an exclusive interview with Manoj Bhadra of The Statesman. Excerpts :

Q: Can you talk about the work done by the Jalshakti department under your guidance?

A: We are trying to fulfill the aspirations of the people who had supported us in 2017 and then in the 2022 assembly polls. Our effort is to give relief to the people of the far-flung areas who were ignored by previous governments… these people had suffered the most due to floods, poor irrigation or drinking water, and other issues. Floods are always a challenge for the government. We countered the first phase of floods in June-July this year very effectively with minimum loss. We are also prepared for the second phase which is expected this month, and all the officials concerned are on standby to deal with any untoward situation.

Q: In some districts of the state, there is a shortfall of monsoon leading to pressure on irrigational facilities. How do you manage such a situation?

A: I have instructed departmental officers and employees to keep an eye on the condition of canals so that farmers can get their water from canals/tube wells. At present, due to less rainfall in some parts of central and eastern parts of the state, the demand for canal water for paddy crops has become very high. In order to ensure the availability of water till the tail-end to farmers and in order to ensure maximum irrigation from the water available in rivers and reservoirs, a team constituted for daily review at the headquarters level is talking to regional officers, junior engineers and farmers every day.

Q: Uttar Pradesh has vast tracts of agricultural land and there are still several areas where irrigational facilities have not reached. Have you adopted any new system to boost the irrigational facilities in the state?

A: A new technology of pressure irrigation system is being promoted in the districts of Siddhatharnagar, Maharajganj and Gorakhpur. For the first time in the state, the work of a pressure irrigation system is being done. Sedimentation tank, pump house, PCC pipe and DI pipe are being used in the pressure irrigation system. In the pressure irrigation system, pipelines are being laid about 1.5 meters below the ground, so that farming can go on. This irrigation system has a provision for outlets approximately every 200 meters. Due to the pressure of water flow in pipes, farmers can irrigate their fields by installing gravity flow and pipes. If a farmer has developed a sprinkler system in his field, then he can irrigate it by simply connecting his sprinkler system to the outlet.

Q: UP is witnessing severe depletion of groundwater with levels going down in the urban areas. How do you counter such an important issue?

A: Efforts to make the general public aware about the importance of groundwater are continuing in the state. Government is holding water conservation programmes to educate people about the issue. Tax on groundwater, management methods, protection, conservation of groundwater sources and misuse of water were some of the policies the government is working on. It is also the effort of the government to make judicious use of groundwater resources, to manage it in a planned manner and to ensure better adoption of groundwater conservation methods.

Q: Now I want to know about the progress of the ambitious ‘Har Ghar Jal’ scheme of the BJP government. How has this scheme changed the scenario of the villages particularly in the Bundelkhand region and the daily life of the women?

A: It is noteworthy that 99 per cent tap connections have been given to more than 14.20 lakh houses in 4,471 villages of Bundelkhand. The work of providing tap connections to more than 1.32 lakh houses in 429 villages in Mahoba district have been completed. Under the Har Ghar Jal scheme, the UP government has targeted to provide clean drinkable water through taps in 2.65 crore houses by the end of 2024 and the government has achieved over 85 per cent of the target. Currently, 338 projects are running and have reached several places that no one had imagined. Where there was salty water, we had to collect water from rivers.

Q: The opposition always rakes up unemployment issues and scams in the recruitment drive. Does recruitment in your departments face such obstacles?

A: Chief Minister Adityanath has adopted a policy of zero tolerance towards corruption and has never compromised with appointments. Recruitment and posting through a fair and transparent process is the priority of the state government and no irregularity will be allowed anywhere in the entire process from recruitment to deployment.

Q: BJP has gone for an intensive membership drive this month. Are you also engaged in it?

A: BJP is an idea, a resolve and a mission committed to making India a strong and prosperous nation globally. I’m proud to be a member of this team. Come on, you too can become a member of this sacred organization dedicated to the service of the people. All other political parties are of the families and common people will be treated like labour forever in parties like Congress, SP and others. But in BJP even a simple worker like me can get big posts. BJP has set an example in the country by appointing small workers in big posts.

Q: Lastly, the opposition Samajwadi Party is aggressive against BJP after the Lok Sabha polls. How do you all counter it?

A: Is SP a political party? It is a casteist, family-run Muslim appeasement party. Before 2017, you must have seen that hooliganism and corruption were at their peak in the state. Now women can go out of their houses even at midnight which was impossible during the SP rule.