ISLAMABAD, Jan 13: The federal government has allocated Rs20 million for provision of clean drinking water to small villages of the federal area.

The assistant director, Local Government, Islamabad, Akram Awan, told reporters here on Saturday that the amount would be spent on expansion of the existing water supply schemes and completion of new projects in rural areas.

He said to facilitate rural dwellers, hand pumps would be distributed among the villagers on concessional rates. The local government would pay 70 per cent share in this regard, he added.

He said a master plan had been prepared, under which water supply schemes would be completed in four villages of the federal area each year.— PPI