Bhopal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to lay the foundation stone for the Ken-Betwa river-linking project, valued at Rs 49,000 crore, in Madhya Pradesh’s Bundelkhand region on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister is expected to arrive at Khajuraho Airport around 12:30 p.m. and will then head to Chhatarpur for the inauguration ceremony.
This event marks the 100th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who proposed the national river-linking initiative back in 2002.
As the first river-linking project under the national interlinking policy, the Ken-Betwa initiative aims to tackle drought and migration challenges in the Bundelkhand area of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
The project is projected to benefit over 8.11 lakh hectares in Madhya Pradesh and 59,000 hectares in Uttar Pradesh, supporting around seven lakh farmers and enhancing existing irrigation systems.
Additionally, it aims to provide drinking water to 44 lakh residents in Madhya Pradesh and 21 lakh in Uttar Pradesh, generate 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar energy, and restore 42 heritage ponds from the Chandela era to improve groundwater levels.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed his enthusiasm for the Prime Minister’s visit, stating, “We extend a warm welcome to PM Modi, who is coming to the sacred land of Khajuraho for the bhoomipujan of the Ken-Betwa project. Bundelkhand will witness new avenues of development, prosperity, and progress.”
CM Yadav highlighted that the Ken-Betwa project is the largest irrigation initiative in the country, utilizing an underground pressurized pipe irrigation system.
The project includes the construction of a 77-meter-high Daudhan Dam on the Ken River within the Panna Tiger Reserve, which will channel surplus water to the Betwa River through a 221-km canal. It is anticipated to enhance forest ecosystems and alleviate flooding in Banda district, Uttar Pradesh.
The Daudhan reservoir is also expected to provide year-round drinking water for wildlife in the Panna Tiger Reserve, improve the forest ecosystem, and offer relief from flooding in Banda district.
“Prime Minister Modi is committed to fulfilling former PM Vajpayee’s vision for the river linking initiative,” CM Yadav added.