BHOPAL: Areas along important rivers should be developed as separate constituencies. This is important to save natural resources of the nation. This and other similar ideas are included in election manifesto prepared by Magsaysay award winner Rajendra Singh, also called waterman of India. Singh said real issues connected with future of common man are missing from election manifestos of major political parties and those who have mentioned it have attempted it half-heartedly. Jal Jan Jodo Abhiyan (campaign to connect water and man) started by Rajendra Singh has prepared the manifest, which focuses on management of natural resources specially water bodies and rivers.
According to Rajendra Singh, forming a ministry for water like Ganga project etc will not solve the problem. Instead, water literacy programmes should be encouraged. This would help increase public participation that is the key element for success of such programmes. In 2014, BJP had promised about Ganga rejuvenation but nothing happened and this time no such promises related to Ganga river are being made. Singh and his team has been travelling to all state capitals and releasing manifesto to awaken common people. The team has also given a copy of this manifesto all political parties.
