River-linking to be reality soon? PM Modi wants projects to be taken up immediately

NEW DELHI: Seeking to take forward NDA government's vision of linking rivers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked the Ministry of Water Resources to identify river-interlinking projects that could be immediately taken up.

PM Modi called for comprehensive mapping and identification of water bodies across the country. He said satellite imagery and 3D photography could be used to guide villages to best possible sources of irrigation.

He has also called for integrating water recycling projects of key towns and cities, to irrigation in nearby rural areas. He emphasized the importance of generating consciousness among people towards water conservation.

In another initiative aimed at benefiting farmers, the Prime Minister has asked concerned Departments and Ministries of the Union Government to fast-track the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana.

Today's meeting follows yesterday's decision by the Union Cabinet, in which amendments to the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, were cleared. "The amendments include the pro-farmer step of bringing 13 most frequently used Acts for Land Acquisition for the Central Government Projects into the purview of the Land Acquisition Act, thus benefiting a large number of farmers whose land is acquired for such projects," an official press release said.

Chairing a high-level meeting involving the Ministries of Agriculture, Water Resources, Rural Development, the Prime Minister called for a multi-pronged approach to the ultimate goal of providing irrigation for every farm through the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana.

PM Modi noted that NREGA had been used over the past few years for creation and augmentation of irrigation assets. He said that NREGA should be integrated with the overall plan of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana. He also called for precise monitoring of outcomes in this regard.

PM Modi has asked concerned departments to look into the possibility of identifying progressive farmers, who could take the lead in implementing water conservation and innovative irrigation techniques.

The Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharati and Union Minister for Agriculture, Radha Mohan Singh, were present in the meeting.