The ambitious Ken-Betwa river linking project was one of the salient features of the presentation of the Union Budget 2022 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday. The implementation of the project has been announced with an amount of Rs 44,605 crore, and assumes significance ahead of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and five other states.
The Ken-Betwa project is set to benefit the drought-prone region of Bundelkhand, which is spread over 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The Center has announced the implementation of the project at a time when at least seven districts of UP in the Bundelkhand region will go to polls in the third, fourth and fifth phases of the assembly elections.
During her budget speech, Sitharaman said, “The implementation of Ken Betwa linking project at an estimated cost of Rs 44,605 crore will provide irrigation benefits to 9 lakh hectares of agricultural land, drinking water to 62 lakh people, 103 MW of hydropower. 27 MW solar power generation,” adding, “Rs 1,400 crore allocated in 2022-23.”
In addition, other agriculture highlights of the Union Budget 2022 include “Kisan Drones”, direct payment of MSP of Rs 2.37 lakh crore to 1.63 crore farmers, a fund with mixed capital for agriculture startups, as well as promotion of chemical-free natural Is. farming in india
Sitharaman further said that along with the Ken-Betwa project, five more river-linking projects are being processed and their detailed reports (DPRs) are being prepared. This is the first project to be taken up as part of the countrywide scheme for interlinking of rivers to enable water scarcity from surplus areas.
The cabinet had approved the Ken-Betwa project in December last year, saying it would pave the way for more river-linking projects in the country. Under this project, excess water from Ken basin will be transferred to Betwa basin. Both the rivers are tributaries of Yamuna. The amount of water to be diverted from the Ken Basin is 1,020 million cubic meters, the ministry said. For this, Daudhan Dam (Lower Orr Project, Kotha Barrage) and a canal connecting the two rivers (Bina Complex Multipurpose Project) will be constructed. The length of the canal will be 221 km and it will also have a 2 km long tunnel.
The state-of-the-art project is expected to be completed in eight years. Districts like Panna, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Sagar, Damoh, Datia, Vidisha, Shivpuri and Raisen in Madhya Pradesh and Banda, Mahoba, Jhansi and Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh are being targeted by the project.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as well as UP CM Yogi Adityanath both lauded the project. Chouhan thanked the Center for approving the Ken-Betwa river link project. “This is a budget for the common man; To benefit the poor, lower middle class, middle class. The allocation of Rs 1400 crore for the Ken Betwa linking project will transform Bundelkhand. This budget will double the income of the farmers.”
The project is expected to improve the socio-economic condition of the backward Bundelkhand region. It targets increased agricultural activities and job creation. While the Center has promised that the project provides for environmental management and safeguards, many environmental and wildlife activists have opposed the project, saying it would lead to large-scale destruction of wildlife habitat due to felling of trees.
The Bundelkhand region is home to critically endangered vultures and gharial and other species like leopard, sloth bear. As per reports, over 9,000 hectares will be submerged for the project. Of this, 6,000 hectares are part of the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. The project works will also include the felling of over 20 lakh trees.
Congress chief whip in Rajya Sabha and former environment minister Jairam Ramesh also criticized the Center for announcing the implementation of the Ken-Betwa project. “On the one hand, the budget talks about climate action and protecting the environment. On the other hand, it leads to ecologically destructive river-linking projects. Rhetoric sounds good. But action matters more. On that front, the Modi government is on a disastrous path.”
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