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Prime Minister Narendra Modi reently laid the foundation stone for the Ken-Betwa river linking project in Madhya Pradesh, while accusing the Congress party of neglecting Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s significant contributions to the development of water resources in India. Speaking at a program in Khajuraho, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of effective water management for a nations progress in the 21st century.
“Ambedkar’s vision and foresight were crucial in strengthening the countrys water resources, dam construction, and management,” PM Modi said. He highlighted Ambedkars role in major river valley projects and the formation of the Central Water Commission, yet criticized Congress for failing to acknowledge his efforts as a water conservationist.
"The Congress party has ignored the nations growing need for water conservation and has never recognized Ambedkar’s pivotal role," Modi added.
Addressing the challenges of the 21st century, PM Modi stressed that only countries with sufficient and well-managed water resources would succeed.
During the event, the Prime Minister also virtually inaugurated the Omkareshwar Floating Solar Project in Khandwa district and laid the foundation stone for the Daudhan Irrigation Project, both part of the river linking initiative.
In a symbolic gesture, Union Water Resources Minister C.R. Patil and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan presented two urns containing water from the Betwa and Ken rivers, which PM Modi poured over a model of the project to formally launch the river linking work.
Highlighting the long delay in infrastructure projects under previous governments, the PM remarked, “Congress and governance do not go together,” referring to the delayed implementation of projects over the past several decades.
The Ken-Betwa river linking project, expected to cost ?44,605 crore, will provide drinking water to 44 lakh people in 10 districts of Madhya Pradesh and 21 lakh people in Uttar Pradesh. The project will also benefit 7.18 lakh agricultural families in 2,000 villages, generate 103 MW of hydropower, and 27 MW of solar energy.
PM Modi also released a commemorative stamp and coin to honor former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth centenary, recognizing Vajpayee’s government for proposing river linking to address irrigation needs and flood management.
Additionally, the Prime Minister performed the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of 1,153 Atal Gram Sewa Sadans in the region, a project worth ?437 crore aimed at furthering development in Bundelkhand.
With these projects, PM Modi declared that the Ken-Betwa river linking initiative would open new avenues of prosperity and development for the Bundelkhand region. |
