Rajasthan has reiterated its demand for a special Central package for drinking water in view of low rainfall, decline in groundwater level and recurrent droughts and sought the State’s inclusion in the first phase of a new project on water proposed to be launched shortly by the World Bank.

Rajasthan Water Resources Minister Jitendra Singh said at a meeting of State Ministers responsible for drinking water supply to the rural areas in New Delhi on Tuesday that the State's difficult geography poses a serious challenge for supplying clean water to the remote villages and hamlets scattered in the Thar desert and in the tribal-dominated areas.