Mumbai : The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has initiated several projects in 12 drought-affected districts of Maharashtra, Dr Upendra Kulkarni said on Wednesday. “Jankalyan Samiti of RSS has initiated 167 projects in these 12 districts. We had successfully completed five water conservation projects in Marathwada in 2013 that helped 100 villages,” Kulkarni, Paschim Kshetra Seva Pramuk (zonal head of services wing), told reporters at a press conference.
Along with a few organisations working in the field of water conservation, the RSS has come up with a plan to build barrages as well as widening, deepening and rejuvenation of rivers in 12 districts with an expenditure of Rs 7 crore, Kulkarni said, adding that a group of expert engineers has undertaken survey of severely affected villages in Aurangabad and Jalna.
The initiatives were reviewed at a recent meeting of senior RSS officials. Farmers from 100 villages where the projects were conducted could water their crops because of the increased water level, Kulkarni said. A mass awareness programme too would be conducted in 500 villages in view of shortage of drinking water, he said.