Madhya Pradesh
PM Laid Foundation Stone of Ken-Betwa Project
- 26 Dec 2024
- 2 min read
Why in News?
Recently, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the Ken-Betwa river linking project at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh.
- It is the first such initiative under the National river interlinking policy.
Key Points
- The Ken-Betwa Link Project:
- The project aims to provide drinking water to 44 lakh people of Madhya Pradesh and 21 lakh people in Uttar Pradesh.
- 7.18 lakh farmer families in 2,000 villages will benefit from improved irrigation.
- The project will generate 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar energy.
- The project embodies cooperation between the central government, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, realising the late PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s river-linking vision.
- Economic and Environmental Impact:
- Ensures ample water for irrigation, drinking, and industrial uses.
- Promotes economic growth, tourism, and employment opportunities in Bundelkhand.
- Addresses groundwater scarcity in the drought-hit Bundelkhand region.
- Conservation Efforts:
- Focus on restoring Chandela-era heritage ponds in Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh, and Niwari districts.
- Continuous water supply to wild animals in the Panna Tiger Reserve.
- Flood relief for Banda district in Uttar Pradesh.
National Interlinking of Rivers Authority
- The national interlinking of rivers (ILR) is the idea that rivers should be inter-connected, so that water from the surplus rivers and regions could be transferred to deficient regions and rivers to address the issue of water scarcity.
- This led to the setup of the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) in 1982.
