Chief Minister Mohan Yadav often remarks that India had the legendary Paras stone in ancient times, which could turn iron into gold with a mere touch. In the same way, water acts as this Paras stone when it reaches arid fields, transforming them into fertile lands where golden crops flourish. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav’s commitment to ‘providing water to every farmer's field’ aligns with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of making the country’s land Shasya Shyamala—lush and productive—ensuring prosperity for farmers. Dedicated to this mission, Chief Minister Dr. Yadav has achieved remarkable progress, leading to unprecedented achievements in irrigation over the past year.

Former Prime Minister Late Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee envisioned linking the country’s rivers to provide water to every farm. This dream remained stalled for over two decades due to inter-state water disputes. Ambitious projects like the Ken-Betwa and Parvati-Kalisindh-Chambal river-linking initiatives faced delays due to a lack of consensus among Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. However, Chief Minister Dr. Yadav broke this deadlock through continuous discussions with the central government and the states, achieving unprecedented success with these two major projects. Recognizing this milestone, Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally visited Madhya Pradesh on the 100th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee to lay the foundation stone for the country’s first national river-linking project, Ken-Betwa.

Due to the tireless efforts of Chief Minister Dr. Yadav, the long-standing hurdle in the world’s largest groundwater recharge inter-state project, the Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project, has now been resolved after discussions with the Maharashtra government. Madhya Pradesh is on the verge of signing an agreement with Maharashtra, marking a significant step forward in water resource management. Soon, the Union Jal Shakti Minister and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra will be invited to Bhopal for the formal signing of the agreement. Yadav affirms, “Through the Tapti Mega Recharge Scheme, we will collaborate with the Maharashtra government to create three streams of the Tapti River, ensuring optimal utilization of every drop of water for the national interest and irrigating every corner of agricultural land.”

The Ken-Betwa Link National Project is a landmark initiative aimed at transforming water accessibility in Madhya Pradesh. This ambitious project involves the construction of the Daudhan Dam and a Link Canal on the Ken River. With an estimated cost of Rs 44,605 crore, the project will provide irrigation facilities to 8.11 lakh hectares of drought-prone land in the Bundelkhand region and supply drinking water to 44 lakh people in the state. Additionally, it will generate 103 megawatts of electricity, which will be fully utilized by Madhya Pradesh. The project is set to benefit 7.25 lakh farmer families across approximately 2,000 villages in 10 districts—Chhatarpur, Panna, Damoh, Tikamgarh, Niwari, Shivpuri, Datia, Raisen, Vidisha, and Sagar. It will significantly improve groundwater levels in Bundelkhand, boosting industrialization, investment, and tourism, while creating new employment opportunities. This, in turn, will promote self-reliance among locals and curb migration from the region. Once completed, the project will redefine the landscape of Bundelkhand, ushering in a new era of sustainable development.

(The writer is Joint Director in the State Publicity Department)