Barnala, June 29 -- A two-member team from the central government on Saturday visited Barnala district to assess the ongoing water conservation initiatives as part of the "Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain" project. The team comprised Sagar Singh Kalsi, director, petroleum and natural gas, and Anup Raj, assistant director (Central Water Commission). During the meeting, Barnala deputy commissioner T Benith and additional deputy commissioner (development) Satwant Singh briefed the central team on various water conservation measures. Benith highlighted the remodelling of village ponds based on Thapar models and the construction of rainwater recharge pits in schools. He also mentioned the ongoing work to clean drains and ponds in preparation for the upcoming monsoon season. He added that under the Catch the Rain project, 219 ponds in the district have been dewatered during the current year, 67 have been desilted (cleaned by removing silt) and 41 Thapar models have been built. ADC (D) Satwant Singh said that about 1.95 lakh saplings have been planted in the district and more saplings will be planted during this monsoon season....