Cabinet approves Ken-Betwa river linking project! From annual irrigation to drinking water supply

The Union Cabinet has approved Rs 39,317 crore in federal funding for the project, which includes a grant of Rs 36,290 crore and a loan of Rs 3,027 crore.

• The Union Cabinet authorised the finance and implementation of the Ken-Betwa inter-linking of rivers project on Wednesday, with a total cost of Rs 44,605 crore. The project has an eight-year completion date. In a Cabinet meeting headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a proposal to this effect was approved. The project will be implemented through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) dubbed the Ken-Betwa Link Project Authority (KBLPA), according to a statement released following the Cabinet meeting. 

• The overall cost of the Ken-Betwa connection project has been estimated at Rs 44,605 crore at 2020-21 pricing levels. According to an IE report, the Union Cabinet has authorised federal funding of Rs 39,317 crore for the project, which includes a grant of Rs 36,290 crore and a loan of Rs 3,027 crore.

• The initiative will open the door for further river interlinking projects in the country, as well as display our inventiveness and vision to the rest of the globe, according to the statement. Water will be moved from the Ken to the Betwa rivers as part of this project, which includes the building of the Daudhan Dam and a canal linking the two rivers. The Ken-Betwa Link Project would irrigate 10.62 lakh hectares annually and provide potable water to 62 lakh people. It will also generate 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar energy. It goes on to say that the Ken-Betwa Link Project will be completed in eight years using cutting-edge technology.

• The water-scarce Bundelkhand area, which spans Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, would greatly benefit from the Ken-Betwa Link Project. It will also help the MP districts of Panna, Tikamgarh, Sagar, Vidisha, Chhatarpur, Damoh, Datia, Shivpuri, and Raisen, as well as the UP districts of Jhansi, Banda, Mahoba, and Lalitpur. The Ken-Betwa Link Project is designed to promote Bundelkhand’s socioeconomic prosperity by increasing agricultural activity and creating job possibilities. It would also aid in the halting of crisis migration from the region, according to the report.

• According to the statement, the initiative covers all aspects of environmental management and protection. The Wildlife Institute of India is currently finalising a comprehensive landscape management strategy for this aim, it added. On March 22, 2021, the Central government and the governments of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh inked an agreement to execute the Ken-Betwa river connecting project. This is India’s first large-scale, centrally-planned river interconnection project.

Source: PIB

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