JOIN USThe Minor Irrigation Department will henceforth be called the Minor Irrigation and Groundwater Development Department, Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Minor Irrigation T B Jayachandra said.
The renaming is aimed at keeping focus on maintaining and increasing the groundwater level, he said on Saturday. Water source rejuvenation with community participation will be the new slogan of the department, he added.
According to Jayachandra, the government has accurate details of only 29,500 of around 33,000 lakes and tanks. The remaining waterbodies have just “disappeared”. He said all lakes and tanks under different government agencies would be brought under one umbrella. The Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority is working in this regard.
Court buildings
The minister said that under the 14th Finance Commission, the Centre had asked the state government to bear the cost of developing infrastructure in courts and carry out other works related to the Law Department but had not released funds in the past three years. With this, the state has to spend Rs 635 crore more on court buildings in Karnataka, he said.