Interlinking of rivers projects in India gets a massive boost from the Narendra Modi government! The central government is looking for funding of a hefty amount to the tune of Rs 60,000 crore for the project to link Godavari and Cauvery rivers, from financial institutions, Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari was quoted as saying by PTI. Besides this, the Jal Shakti ministry officials reviewed the status of 47 intra-state river link proposals from nine states. A proposal was also made to restructure major agencies related to projects of Interlinking of Rivers, the central government said in a release.
Godavari-Cauvery river linking project: Gadkari said that the interlinking project would save 1,200 tmc ft of Godavari water that flows into the sea. This water would be utilised for irrigation by farmers of Tamil Nadu who often suffer due to parched land. The project, for which the central government aims to raise Rs 60,000 crore, envisages to link rivers of Krishna, Godavari, Cauvery, and Pennar rivers, said Gadkari during an annual convocation at Karaikal National Institute of Technology.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Rattan Lal Kataria held a meeting of the Special Committee for Inter-Linking of Rivers (ILR) in New Delhi. During the project, it was disclosed that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Ken-Betwa Inter-State Link Project, that involves Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, has been finalised and the work is likely to start soon. it was also underlined that Inter-Linking of Rivers projects, those which are within a state, need to be expedited.
Apart from Ken-Betwa Inter-State Link Project, the status of Par-Tapi-Narmada Link, Damanganga-Pinjal, Damanganga-Vaitarna-Godavari, Damanganga (Ekdare)-Godavari link, Bedti-Varda link, and Cauvery (Kattalai)-Vaigai-Gundar link projects were reviewed. Also, a key proposal pertaining to the diversion of Godavari water up to Cauvery basin, integration of Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project, Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal link and Manas-Sankosh-Teesta-Ganga (MSTG) link were discussed in the meeting.
The central government officials discussed the status of the 47 intra-state link proposals from nine states. Apart from this, officials discussed the restructuring of several authorities such as the National Water Development Agency, the National Interlinking of Rivers Authority (NIRA) and Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has time to time pitched for inter-linking of rivers in India. PM Modi has said that water is limited for India’s population and there are areas which face floods, there are localities that are dry. PM Modi has said that interlinking of the river can solve the issue. In 2018, PM Modi had said that 17 per cent of the world’s population resides in India, however, India has only four per cent of water. The ambitious project of Inter-Linking of Rivers is the long-cherished dream of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The project comprises 14 rivers in the peninsular region and 16 rivers of Himalayan origin.