Chief minister Arjun Munda on Sunday laid the foundation stone of a Rs 6-crore rural drinking water project at Manpur village, Baharagora block in East Singhbhum, about 100 kilometres from Jamshedpur, signalling his government’s commitment to the hinterland. Accompanied by deputy chief minister Hemant Soren and Bahragora MLA Vidyut Barun Mahto, Munda expressed his concern over the acute problem of drinking water in rural Jharkhand. “Water and sanitation are basic needs that should be addressed urgently,” he said, adding that the state government had set a target to ensure drinking water availability in all villages under the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17), besides education and power for all. It was a ceremony baptised by real tears. As soon as Munda laid the foundation stone, elderly villager Raghu Tudu, who was part of the 500-odd audience, burst into tears. “I hope we have water in our village now. We thank the state government for making an attempt to quench our thirst,” he said. “This is the first ever foundation stone I have seen being laid in more than two decades,” added Anil Mahto, another villager. The water project with a slated two-year deadline, will benefit residents of 19 villages of Bahragora block and cater to a population of 25,000. Water will be sourced from Subernarekha, while a filtration plant with a network of pipelines will be part of the project. Then, the chief minister turned his attention to central schemes such as MGNREGS, NHRM, rural electrification, among others, said the district headquarters should speed up their implementation. “It is high time that schemes are implemented swiftly and efficiently so that common people can reap their benefits. Forty-three welfare schemes sponsored by the Union government are running in the state but several are behind schedule due to the apathetic approach of the Union government,” said Munda. Hemant Soren, in his address, stressed on the need to improve infrastructure and amenities in rural pockets. The chief minister flew back to Ranchi on Sunday evening after attending the programme. Anil Mahto, who had earlier commented that this was the first foundation stone in decades, added: “There are many pressing issues that need to be addressed in the rural hinterland. But this is a good start.”