The goal of the Bharat Nirman programme of fulfilling the norms of water supply in all the rural habitations will be achieved in the State during the current year, Local Administration and Rural Development Minister M.K. Stalin told the Assembly on Tuesday. Of 87,010 rural habitations in the State, 76,755 habitations are fully covered (40 litres per capita per day and above) and the remaining 10,255 partially covered (10 lpcd to 39 lpcd), he said, initiating the debate on the demands for grants to his departments. The government's aim was to make the 10,255 habitations fully covered habitations by 2008-2009. The outlay earmarked was Rs.700 crore. In the last two years, protected water supply was given to 17,367 rural habitations through individual power pump schemes and combined water supply (CWSS) schemes. Habitations upgraded Also, 3,476 habitations were upgraded to fully covered category by rejuvenating IPP schemes, and 2,070 habitations of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes enhanced to fully-covered status by providing overhead tanks last year. This year, it was planned to complete 50 CWSS to benefit 3,143 rural habitations at an estimated cost of Rs.1,075.95 crore. As part of enabling the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board to be more people-focussed, a capacity building programme had been taken up on change management initiatives. An experiment in taking the change initiatives to the rural community was conducted in 10 village panchayats of Krishnagiri district last year. It was planned to cover more village panchayats in the district this year and create more awareness on water and sanitation issues. JNNURM Under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, it was proposed to take up water supply, sewerage, solid waste management and storm water drain projects worth Rs.2,100 crore for Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore municipal corporations and adjacent urban local bodies. As for town panchayats, the Minister said web-based revenue modules (property tax, water charges, profession tax and non-tax) would be implemented this year. E-tendering would be introduced. Stating that Madurai was the first municipal corporation in the country to get an ISO 9001-2000 certification for its Mattuthavani bus stand, he said this year the Madurai and Coimbatore corporations had prepared outcome budgets, "which is a significant initiative.' e-remittance In Coimbatore, e-remittance facility for tax payment through the Internet and online issue of building licence with special software would be implemented next month. On the formation of Tiruppur and Erode municipal corporations, the Minister said the government had accorded administrative sanction for about Rs.10.45 crore and Rs.10.19 crore for the two corporations to take up infrastructure development works. Each corporation had been given Rs.5 crore as a one-time grant. Besides, Rs.6.3 crore and Rs.3.48 crore had been cleared for Tiruppur and Erode respectively under the Elementary Education Fund. Participating in the debate, N.R. Rangarajan (Congress) wanted the government to reconsider the revised ceiling on the levy of property tax for commercial establishments.