Fluoride Mitigation Centre in Gujrat will be set up within the 12th Five year Plan

The Government today informed that a Fluoride Mitigation Centre in Gujrat will be set up within the 12th Five year Plan. Rural Development Minister and the Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Jairam Ramesh said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha that the Centre has already approved the proposal to set up the centre. He said, the Regional Centre for Fluoride and Fluorosis Management at Gandhinagar will assist the Northern States including Gujrat in providing solutions to Fluoride contamination in drinking water and Fluorosis management. The Government of India has constituted an Expert Committee under the Chairmanship of Director, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur to finalize the terms of reference of the Institute and prepare Detailed Project Report.

Ramesh informed that under National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP), 67 percent of the funds released to the States can be spent on coverage and water quality problems including fluoride contamination in rural drinking water supply.