Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the Ken-Betwa River Linking Project on December 25 in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh. PM is taking the initiative to realise former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s dream of the river linking campaign. This is the first such initiative under the national river interlinking policy. At around 12:30 pm, Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects in Khajuraho.
Ken-Betwa project highlights
With an estimated cost of Rs 44,605 crore, the project involves building a 77-meter-high, 2.13-kilometer-long Daudhan Dam on the Ken River within the Panna Tiger Reserve. A 221-kilometer canal will transfer water from the Ken River to the Betwa River. Along with this, the hydropower projects will contribute more than 100 MW in green energy. The project will also create many employment opportunities as well as strengthen the rural economy.
Under the project, a 77-metre high and 2.13 kilometres long Daudhan dam and two tunnels (upper level 1.9 km and lower level 1.1 km) will be constructed on the Ken river in the Panna Tiger Reserve. The dam will store 2,853 million cubic metres of water.
The surplus Ken water will be transferred to the Betwa river through the 221-km-long link canal from Daudhan dam, providing irrigation and drinking water facilities in both UP and MP.
These districts will be benefitted
Under this project, 8.11 lakh hectare area can be irrigated in 2,000 villages of 10 districts – Panna, Damoh, Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh, Niwari, Sagar, Raisen, Vidisha, Shivpuri and Datia. The project will provide an annual irrigation facility in 59,000 hectare area in Uttar Pradesh and stabilisation of the existing irrigation in 1.92 lakh-hectare area, which will provide irrigation facilities in Mahoba, Jhansi, Lalitpur and Banda districts of UP
MP CM Mohan Yadav’s statement
MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Tuesday said nearly 44 lakh people in 10 districts of Madhya Pradesh and 21 lakh in Uttar Pradesh will get drinking water under the project.
“Prime Minister Modi is coming to Khajuraho in Chhatarpur district on December 25 to lay the foundation of this project which will change the image and destiny of Bundelkhand in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The Ken-Betwa Link Project is a unique example of cooperation and coordination between the central government, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh,” he said.
(With PTI inputs)
