Bengaluru: ‘Salumarada Thimmakka Neralu Scheme’, a new scheme has been launched by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) department in which saplings will be planted along 3,000 km of roads in the state.

The new scheme of planting saplings in the name of environmentalist Salumarada Thimmakka will be maintained for five years under MGNREGA.

The announcement was made during the 2016-17 budget presentation on Friday, March 18.

The RDPR department has earmarked Rs 13,018 crore in the budget for the developmental works including providing drinking water, laying village roads for the fiscal year 2016-17.

The fund allocated for the development of rural roads steadily increased in this budget to Rs 3,609 crore which was Rs 1,317 in 2012-13.

Under ‘Namma Grama Namma Rasthe’ scheme, all-season roads will be constructed in 189 rural legislative assembly constituencies. In this, 6-km-length road will be laid in SC population areas and it is 3-km-length road in ST populated areas.

An amount of Rs 1,980 crore was allocated to take up multi-village water supply schemes, borewells, water purification units and other works in the next fiscal. Funds also allocated for re-construction work on a few heritage-valued villages. To make panchayat raj secretariat and zilla panchayat offices paperless, Rs 30 crore was allocated.