Udupi:The Udupi Zilla Panchayat on Tuesday directed the engineers of the Varahi Irrigation Project to release water to the canals as soon as possible so that farmers could benefit from it.

Raising the issue at the monthly Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) meeting held at the Zilla Panchayat Hall here, Babu Shetty, chairman, Zilla Panchayat Standing Committee on Social Justice, said that the Executive Officer of Kundapur Taluk Panchayat should immediately call a meeting and take steps that were beneficial to farmers.

Engineers of the Varahi Irrigation Project should be told to take immediate steps for release of water in the canals instead of giving excuses. The farmers had been demanding the release of water in the canals for a long time, he said.

Srinivas Rao, Chief Planning Officer, informed the meeting that the under the Shakti Surabhi Scheme, portable bio-gas plants were being made available. These plants were suited to the climate of the coastal belt. This would also help the people to send their home waste to the plant. All the gram panchayats should make a list of eligible beneficiaries under the scheme. A subsidy of 50% was available under the scheme, he said.

Gracy Gonsalves, Deputy Director of Women and Child Welfare, informed the meeting that the construction of five anganwadis had been completed in different parts of the district, the construction of two more anganwadis was under progress, she said.

Dinakar Babu, president, Zilla Panchayat, said owing to the closure of the ANM Centre in Malpe, patients were now coming to Udyavar. Rohini, District Health and Family Welfare Officer, said that staff from the nearby Primary Health Sub-Centre would be deputed to the ANM Centre in Malpe.

Anthony Maria Immanuel, Joint Director of Agriculture, informed the meeting that of the 116 agriculture sale outlets, point of sale (POS) machines had been installed in 43 outlets. Henceforth, farmers would have to give their Aadhaar numbers and fingerprints during their purchases.

The staff in these outlets had been given training in using the POS machines. The farmers were being made aware of the POS machines. This system was being implemented to check misuse of fertilizer subsidies, he said.

Sheela K. Shetty, vice-president, zilla panchayat; Uday Kotian, chairman of Zilla Panchayat Standing Committee on Health and Education; and Shashikanth Padubidri, chairman, Zilla Panchayat Standing Committee on Agriculture and Industry, were present.