Minister of State for Water and Social Justice and Empowerment, Ratan Lal Kataria today said that the Government of India is committed to increase the irrigation potential of the State by completing the irrigation projects in Jharkhand which are pending for the years.
Two important irrigation projects of Jharkhand, Swarnrekha Multipurpose Irrigation Project and North Koyal Project are being given Central Assistance under Prime Minister Agriculture Irrigation Scheme (PMKSY) - Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) apart from this, the State Government will try to complete four other irrigation projects at its own level.
Replying to the question asked by Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand Mahesh Poddar in the Upper House, Minister of State for Water and Social Justice and Empowerment, Ratan Lal Kataria has given this information.
“Six major projects in Jharkhand, Swarnarekha Multipurpose Project, Amanat Barrage Project, Punasi Reservoir Project, Konar Irrigation Project, Northern Koyal Reservoir Project and Guamani Barrage Project were started in the 70s and 80s, which are still under construction.
The State Government is on its own completing four of these projects Amanat Barrage Project, Punasi Reservoir Project, Konar Irrigation Project and Guamani Barrage Project,” said Kartaria.
The Minister said that Jharkhand’s Swarnarekha Multipurpose Project is getting Central Assistance under AIBP and now PMKSY from 2011-12. “For this project, central assistance of Rs.1132.883 crores was released till March, 2016. In the year 2016-17, it was given priority for completion under PMKSY-AIBP.
The amount has been arranged through NABARD for both Central assistance and the State share amount. For the project from the year 2016-17, a sum of Rs 756.73 crore has been released and the amount of State share of 518.10 crore rupees has been released,” he added.
Kataria also said that apart from this, the Government of India had approved a proposal in August 2017 to complete the remaining works of the Northern Koyal project, which was estimated to cost Rs 1622.27 crores. “Out of these Rs 1378.61 crore is central assistance and so far Rs 659.17 crores central assistance has been released,” he added.