The Yogi Adityanath government has completed and made operational 18 imminent irrigation projects benefiting more than fifty lakh farmers in Uttar Pradesh, according to Minister of Jal Shakti Dr. Mahendra Singh, in an effort to double farmers' income and relieve the state's water crisis.
Nearly 18 projects that were pending for years, including the Saryu Canal National Project, Arjun Sahayak Canal Project and Bansagar Project have been completed and declared operational in the last four and a half years of our government. The project will facilitate the irrigation of an additional 20 lakh hectares of land, benefitting more than 50 lakh farmers in the state, according to the minister.
The Saryu Canal Project was conceived in 1971-72 to enhance irrigation capacity in the districts of Bahraich and Gonda and construction began in 1978. When the project was first launched, it was known as the Ghaghra Canal. However, the project's scope was increased in 1982-83 including nine districts in Purvanchal's trans-Ghaghra-Rapti-Rohini area, and it was renamed to Saryu Project. Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, Gonda, Siddharthnagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Gorakhpur, and Maharajganj are the nine districts.
Previous governments overlooked and failed to allocate funds for a major agricultural project that would have solved many of the problems that farmers faced decades ago.
The BJP-led state government supplied adequate finances and has accelerated development on the project since assuming office in 2017.
"From 1978 to 2017, the government spent Rs.5189 crore on this project, whereas from 2017 till now, the government has spent Rs.4613 crore. This project has the potential to irrigate around 14.50 lakh hectares of land, benefiting over 30 lakh farmers," Singh added.
Between 1978 and 2017, out of 23,228 pucca works, 10,365 works were completed. Around 12,863 pucca works were done in the last four and a half years of the Yogi government.
Under the ambitious Saryu canal national project, 992 canals spread over 6,623 km will be built.
Between 1978 and 2017, only 290 canals spread over 2,000 km were completed. However, after the BJP government came to power, from 2017-2021, 4,623 km and 702 canals were completed and operationalized.
The Jal Shakti Minister also informed that the canal built over a length of 244 km from the Arjun Sahayak Canal Project will provide irrigation facilities to 69,000 hectares of land and it will benefit 1.49 lakh farmers.
