15-Dec-2022: Inter-Linking of Rivers

National Perspective Plan (NPP) for Water Resources Development was formulated by the Government of India in 1980 for providing storage and transfer of surplus waters from water surplus basins to water deficit basins so as to mitigate the ravages of floods and also to minimize the miseries brought by droughts. Under the NPP, the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has identified 30 links (16 under Peninsular Component & 14 under Himalayan Component) for preparation of Feasibility Reports. Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of eight links have been completed.

Ken-Betwa Link project (KBLP) is the first ILR project, for which implementation has been initiated. In December, 2021, Government of India approved for implementation of KBLP at an estimated cost of Rs. 44,605 crore (at year 2020-21 price level), including central support of Rs. 39,317 crore. During the financial year 2021-22, an expenditure of Rs. 4,639.46 crore was made towards implementation of KBLP. For financial year 2022-23, budget allocation of Rs. 1,400 crore has been made for the purpose, while the expenditure made so far during the current financial year is Rs. 394.77 crore.

13-Dec-2022: Union Minister for Jal Shakti Chairs Meeting of Special Committee for Interlinking of Rivers

The 36th Annual General Meeting of National Water Development Agency (NWDA) Society and 20th Meeting of Special Committee for Interlinking of Rivers (SCILR) were held under the chairmanship of Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, on 13th December, 2022 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The Union Minister for Jal Shakti, in his opening remarks informed that Water Resources is one of the most important sectors for Government of India and Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) Programme is very important for enhancing water and food security of the country and would be helpful in providing water to drought prone and rainfed farming areas. Shri Shekhawat highlighted the remarkable achievement of initiation of implementation of Ken Betwa Link Project (1st ILR Project under National Perspective Plan) after obtaining approval of Government of India in December, 2021. The project would be a boon for Bundelkhand region and it is planned to be completed in period of 8 years.

During the meeting, a detailed presentation on the agenda items was made by Director General, NWDA. The status of various works and the pending issues/bottle necks/etc. for Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) projects, Annual Report & Audited Accounts for the year 2021-22 of NWDA and constitution of National Interlinking of Rivers Authority (NIRA) were discussed at length.

Special Committee for Interlinking of Rivers (SCILR) approved the proposal of considering the modified Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal (PKC) link project duly integrated with Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) as a part of National Perspective Plan of ILR and declare the Phase-I of the Project as a Priority interlinking project.

SCILR was also apprised of status of Cabinet Note for constitution of NIRA recently submitted to Union Cabinet for approval. The Note has been prepared on the basis of deliberations held during last meeting of SCILR, Task force and also suitably incorporating views of other Departments / Ministries.

8-Dec-2022: Inter-Linking of Rivers

The National Perspective Plan (NPP) was prepared by the then Ministry of Irrigation (now Ministry of Jal Shakti) in August 1980 for development of water resources through inter basin transfer of water, for transferring water from water-surplus basins to water-deficit basins. Under the NPP, the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has identified 30 links (16 under Peninsular Component & 14 under Himalayan Component) for preparation of Feasibility Reports.

Water being a State subject, steps for augmentation, conservation and efficient management to ensure sustainability of water resources are undertaken by the respective State Governments. However, Government of India has taken several initiatives by way of providing technical and financial assistance to the State Governments for the projects planned towards water conservation and restoration of traditional water sources, through various schemes, such as Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies and Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI) Schemes, Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain - 2022 campaign, etc.

Under the scheme of RRR of Water Bodies, rural water bodies having minimum water spread area of 2 hectares (1 hectare for North Eastern, Sikkim and Hilly States including UTs of J&K and Ladakh), and urban water bodies having minimum water spread area of 1 hectare (0.5 hectare for North Eastern, Sikkim and Hilly States including UTs of J&K and Ladakh) are eligible for inclusion with the objectives of restoration of water bodies for assured supply of water for irrigation, increased availability of drinking water, ground water recharge and water conservation.

Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI) scheme targeting to provide financial assistance to the identified minor irrigation projects (with irrigation potential less than 2,000 hectare) using surface water, have been included under Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) since 1999-2000 for special category States. Subsequently, the scheme has been extended to areas covering Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP), Tribal, Desert Development Programme (DDP), Flood prone, Left Wing Extremism and Koraput, Bolangir and Kalahandi (KBK) region of Odisha, Bundelkhand region of UP and MP and Marathwada and Vidharbha regions of Maharashtra. Main objective of SMI schemes is to expand cultivable area under assured irrigation.

Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain - 2022 Campaign has been launched in March, 2022 in all districts of the country. The campaign, inter alia, focuses on interventions for water conservation and rainwater harvesting, which include making of roof-top Rain Water Harvesting Structures (RWHS) on buildings and water harvesting pits in compounds; maintenance of existing RWHS and creation of new check dams/ ponds; renovation of traditional water harvesting Structures; removal of encroachments of lakes/ tanks and in their catchment channels; desilting of tanks, spring shed development, etc.

The Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) projects under NPP would also help in water conservation by mitigating effects of floods and droughts. The ILR projects would also help in recharge of ground water and tanks, etc. in the command areas, thus, leading to substantial water conservation, besides primarily providing for irrigation benefits, augmentation of drinking water supply and hydro-power generation. The implementation of ILR projects as per NPP shall help in harnessing and transfer of approximately 166 Billion Cubic Metres of water.

Detailed survey and investigation for ILR projects has been conducted during preparation of Detailed Project Report of Ken–Betwa Link Project and Feasibility Reports of other link projects pertaining to the States of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Three link projects under NPP viz; Yamuna-Rajasthan link, Rajasthan-Sabarmati link and Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal link will benefit the State of Rajasthan.

Two link projects under NPP viz; Ken-Betwa link and Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal link will benefit the State of Madhya Pradesh. The Ken-Betwa link is the first link under NPP for which implementation has been initiated.

31-Mar-2022: Consultation For Inter-Linking Of Rivers

Under the National Perspective Plan (NPP), the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has identified 30 links (16 under Peninsular Component & 14 under Himalayan Component) for preparation of Feasibility Reports.

The Government is pursuing the interlinking of rivers (ILR) programme in a consultative manner and has accorded it priority. There is a structured mechanism for preparing work plan, fixing the targets, consultation with all stakeholders, reviewing of the progress etc. for ILR projects. Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of link projects after completion, are sent to the concerned States and efforts are made by way of holding regular consultation meetings with the concerned States to build consensus on water sharing, etc.

A Special Committee on Interlinking of Rivers (SCILR) was constituted in September, 2014 to expedite execution of the inter-linking of rivers (ILR) projects. Nineteen meetings of the Special Committee have been held so far and its latest meeting was held on 12.11.2021. Further, a Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers was also constituted in April, 2015 to look into the issues relating to interlinking of rivers. Fifteen meetings of the Task Force have been held so far and the latest meeting was held on 22.10.2021.

14-Mar-2022: Status of Interlinking of Rivers

Under the National Perspective Plan (NPP), the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has identified 30 links (16 under Peninsular Component & 14 under Himalayan Component) for preparation of Feasibility Reports.

Ken – Betwa project is the first Inter-linking project under NPP, which is under implementation. A tripartite agreement has been signed among the States of UP and MP and Central Government for implementation of Ken-Betwa Link Project in March, 2021. The project has been approved by the Government of India with an estimated cost of Rs. 44605 Cr at year 2020-21 price level and central support of Rs.39317 Cr through a Special Purpose Vehicle.

The ILR programme has been accorded top priority by the Government and it is being pursued based on the principle of consensus and agreement among the concerned States. A “Special Committee on Interlinking of Rivers” was constituted in September, 2014 for the implementation of ILR programme. Nineteen meetings of the Special Committee have been held so far. Further, a Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers was also constituted in April, 2015 and fifteen meetings of the Task Force have been held so far. Furthermore, efforts have been made for building consensus among the concerned States as implementation of the ILR projects depends mainly on the consensus among the concerned States.

Estimated expenditure for ILR project (30 links) is estimated at Rs. 8.44 lakh crore. However, the issue related to actual expenditure arises at time of implementation of the link projects.

16-Dec-2021: Inter-linking of Peninsular rivers

The National Perspective Plan (NPP) was prepared by the then Ministry of Irrigation (now Ministry of Jal Shakti) in August 1980 for water resources development through inter basin transfer of water, for transferring water from water surplus basins to water-deficit basins. Under the NPP, the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has identified 30 links (16 under Peninsular Component & 14 under Himalayan Component) for preparation of Feasibility Reports. The details of current status of link projects and benefits for the states, under Peninsular Component of National Perspective Plan (NPP) is furnished at Annexure.

The implementation of all links under NPP is expected to result in production of 34 million Kilo Watt (KW) of power.

A “Special Committee on Interlinking of Rivers” has been constituted in September, 2014 for the implementation of ILR programmes. Nineteen meetings of the Committee have been held so far. Further, a Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers has been constituted by MoWR, RD & GR (now Ministry of Jal Shakti) in April, 2015 and fifteen meetings of the Task Force have been held so far. Efforts have been made for building consensus among the concerned States and also setting out road maps for implementation of the projects.

Adequate care is taken to address the economic and environmental aspects in the formulation of interlinking of rivers projects, apart from considering all relevant engineering parameters like hydrological, meteorological, hydraulic, geological, geo-technical etc. During the feasibility study stage, rapid Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) studies are carried out using one season data. While preparing the Detailed Project Report of any link project, Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) study covering the likely impact on river ecology, environmental flows, bio diversity, wildlife, socio-economic factors etc. and mitigation measures to be taken, are carried out as per terms of references approved by Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of MoEF& CC.

Details of current status of link projects and benefits for the states, under Peninsular Component of National Perspective Plan (NPP)

*FR of Alternate Mahanadi (Barmul) -Rushikulya – Godavari (Dowlaiswaram) link project completed.

** Alt I- Linking with Gandhisagar Dam, Alt. II- Linking with Rana Pratapsagar Dam

• PFR- Pre Feasibility Report
• FR- Feasibility Report
• DPR- Detailed Project Report
• MW- Mega Watt
• MCM- Million Cubic Meter

2-Dec-2021: National river linking project

The National Perspective Plan (NPP) was prepared by the then Ministry of Irrigation (now Ministry of Jal Shakti) in August 1980 for water resources development through inter basin transfer of water, for transferring water from water surplus basins to water-deficit basins. Under the NPP, the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has identified 30 links (16 under Peninsular Component & 14 under Himalayan Component) for preparation of Feasibility Reports. Details and status of the proposals for inter-state linking of rivers under the Inter Linking of Rivers Programme is furnished at Annexure.

The implementation of the ILR projects depend on the consensus of the concerned States. Thus the interlinking of rivers programme is being pursued based on the principle of consensus and agreement among the concerned States. An interlinking project would reach the implementation stage once agreement amongst party states is reached on water sharing. Thereafter for implementation all requisite statutory clearances need to be obtained.

Government of Uttar Pradesh has requested NWDA to take up the study of linking Sharda River to Gomti river. Draft Pre-Feasibility Report of the Intra State link viz; Sharda-Gomti link has been completed by NWDA  and submitted to the State Government in October, 2021.

19-Jul-2021: Special Scheme for Inter-Linking of Rivers

The National Perspective Plan (NPP) was prepared by the then Ministry of Irrigation (now Ministry of Jal Shakti) in August 1980 for water resources development through inter basin transfer of water, for transferring water from water surplus basins to water-deficit basins. Under the NPP, the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has identified 30 links (16 under Peninsular Component & 14 under Himalayan Component) for preparation of Feasibility Reports (FRs).

Under the Peninsular Component of NPP, the following 14 links are envisaged in the Southern part of India:

1. Mahanadi (Manibhadra) -Godavari (Dowlaiswaram) link
2. Godavari (Inchampalli) - Krishna (Pulichintala) link
3. Godavari (Inchampalli) - Krishna (Nagarjuna Sagar) link
4. Godavari (Polavaram) - Krishna (Vijayawada) link
5. Krishna (Almatti) – Pennar link
6. Krishna (Srisailam) – Pennar link
7. Krishna (Nagarjuna Sagar) - Pennar (Somasila ) link
8. Pennar (Somasila) - Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link
9. Cauvery (Kattalai) - Vaigai -Gundar link
10. Par-Tapi-Narmada link
11. Damanganga - Pinjal link
12. Bedti - Varda link
13. Netravati – Hemavati link
14. Pamba - Achankovil - Vaippar link

Out of the above 14 links, the following 8 link projects involve Narmada, Godavari and Krishna rivers.

1. Mahanadi (Manibhadra) – Godavari (Dowlaiswaram) link
2. Godavari (Polavaram)–Krishna (Vijayawada) (Implemented by Govt. of AP)
3. Godavari (Inchampalli) –Krishna (Pulichintala) link
4. Godavari (Inchampalli)– Krishna (Nagarjuna Sagar) link
5. Krishna (Nagarjuna Sagar)–Pennar (Somasila) link
6. Krishna (Srisailam) – Pennar link
7. Krishna (Almatti) – Pennar link
8. Par-Tapi –Narmada link project

The Pre-Feasibility Reports (PFRs) and FRs of the links under SI no. 1 to 8 above including the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Par-Tapi-Narmada link project were already completed and circulated to party States. Pending consensus on Manibhadra and Inchampalli dams due to large submergence, alternate study to divert unutilized waters of Indravati sub-basin of Godavari basin have been carried out and the DPR viz. Godavari (Inchampalli barrage)-Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link project has also been completed and circulated to party States. The details of rivers to be linked are already included in Annexure. The Special committee for Interlinking of Rivers (ILR), after considering the views of all the stakeholders, is proceeding ahead to expedite the objectives of the interlinking of rivers in a consultative and cooperative manner. The implementation of the ILR projects involves various steps such as perpetration of PFRs/FRs of links, negotiation and consensus among concerned States, preparation of DPRs of the projects, clearance from appraisal agencies which includes clearance by Ministry of Environment & Forests and Climate Change and Ministry of Tribal Affairs, techno-economic clearance by Advisory Committee on Irrigation, Flood control &Multipurpose Projects of Ministry of Jal Shakti, investment clearance and the construction time required for the completion of the projects as per the DPR.

Thus, the implementation of the projects will take varying periods of time. An ILR project would reach the implementation stage when all the statutory clearances are taken and an agreement is reached amongst party states from the implementation of the project.

18-Mar-2021: Inter-Linking of River Projects

The National Perspective Plan (NPP) was prepared by the then Ministry of Irrigation (now Ministry of Jal Shakti) in August 1980 for water resources development through inter basin transfer of water, for transferring water from water surplus basins to water-deficit basins. Under the NPP, the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has identified 30 links (16 under Peninsular Component and 14 under Himalayan Component) for preparation of Feasibility Reports (FRs). The details of above river linking projects viz. Rivers, States concerned is given at Annexure.

Draft Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Godavari-Cauvery link project consisting of three links viz; Godavari (Inchampalli/Janampet) – Krishna (Nagarjuna Sagar), Krishna (Nagarjuna Sagar) – Pennar (Somasila), Pennar (Somasila)-Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link projects has been completed by National Water Development Agency (NWDA) and circulated to party States in March 2019. The comments of party States have been deliberated in a virtual meeting held on 18.09.2020.

Since no inter-linking of river (ILR) projects, including the Godavari-Cauvery link project has reached the stage of execution, as such no funds have been allocated for the project

The Government is pursuing the inter-linking of rivers (ILR) program in a consultative manner. A “Special Committee on Interlinking of Rivers” has been constituted in September, 2014 for the implementation  of  ILR  programme.  Eighteen  meetings  of the Special Committee have been held so far.

Further, a Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers has been constituted by MoWR, RD & GR (now Ministry of Jal Shakti) in April, 2015 and twelve meetings of the Task Force have been held so far. Efforts have been made for building consensus among the concerned States and also setting out road maps for implementation of the projects.

The Godavari-Cauvery link project is planned in two phases. Phase-I relates to identifying the surplus waters in Godavari basin without affecting the interests of the co-basin States and transferring these waters upto Cauvery through Godavari-Cauvery link project; and Phase-II relates to linking Brahmaputra-Ganga-Subarnarekha-Mahanadi-Godavari rivers thus enriching the Phase-I with suitable modifications. The draft DPR of Godavari-Cauvery link has been prepared considering the Phase-I option only.

The Government of Tamil Nadu requested that the last leg of the Godavari-Cauvery link project, namely, Pennar-Palar-Cauvery link canal reach may be taken at higher elevation after crossing Palar river by pumping from Dusi Mamandur Tank and terminate at Kattalai barrage instead of Grand Anicut in Phase-I itself. A preliminary draft concept note has been prepared by NWDA on the suggested higher level canal alignment. However, the same is subject to establishing its techno-economic viability. Further, the Government of Tamil Nadu requested that the Poondi reservoir may be linked with Araniyar reservoir so that 609 tanks with a capacity of 15 TMC can be filled. However, integration of Araniyar reservoir with Poondi reservoir is linked with the firming up of Phase-II of the proposal.

The envisaged total diversion under Phase-I is only 247 TMC, out of which, after meeting the enroute requirements in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, only 83 TMC could be planned at Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border. Government of Tamil Nadu has requested for providing 200 TMC of water for meeting their water requirements in the Phase-I of the project itself. However, the possibility of providing additional quantum of water to Tamil Nadu is linked with water to be brought through Phase-II of the project.

Names of Inter Basin Water Transfer Links, the States involved, name of rivers and status of Feasibility Reports/Detailed Project Report:

S. No	Name	Rivers	States concerned	Present Status
Peninsular  Component
1	Mahanadi (Manibhadra) -Godavari (Dowlaiswaram) link	Mahanadi  & Godavari	Odisha, Maharashtra,  AP, MP, Telangana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh	FR Completed
2	Godavari (Inchampalli) - Krishna (Pulichintala) link	Godavari  &   Krishna	Odisha, Maharashtra,  AP, MP, Telangana, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh& Maharashtra	FR Completed
3	Godavari (Inchampalli) - Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) link	Godavari & Krishna	Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka &Chhattisgarh	FR & Draft DPR Completed
4	Godavari (Polavaram) - Krishna (Vijayawada) link	Godavari & Krishna	-do-	FR Completed
5	Krishna (Almatti) – Pennar link	Krishna  &Pennar	Maharashtra,  Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka &Telangana	FR Completed
6	Krishna (Srisailam) – Pennar link	Krishna  &Pennar	-do-	FR Completed
7	Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) - Pennar (Somasila ) link	Krishna  &Pennar	-do-	FR & Draft DPR Completed
8	Pennar (Somasila) - Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link	Pennar& Cauvery	Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala & Puducherry	FR & Draft DPR Completed
9	Cauvery (Kattalai) - Vaigai -Gundar link	Cauvery, Vaigai & Gundar	Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala & Puducherry	DPR Completed
10	Ken-Betwa link	Ken & Betwa	Uttar Pradesh  & Madhya Pradesh	FR & DPR (Ph-I,II & Comprehensive) Completed
11 (i)	Parbati -Kalisindh-  Chambal link	Parbati, Kalisindh & Chambal	Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan & Uttar Pradesh (UP  requested to be consulted during consensus building)	FR Completed
(ii)	Parbati-Kuno-Sindh link	Parbati, Kuno and Sindh	MP and Rajasthan	PFR completed $
12	Par-Tapi-Narmada link	Par, Tapi & Narmada	Maharashtra & Gujarat	DPR Completed
13	Damanganga - Pinjal link	Damanganga & Pinjal	Maharashtra & Gujarat	DPR Completed
14	Bedti - Varda link	Bedti&Varda	Maharashtra,  Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka	PFR Completed
15	Netravati – Hemavati link	Netravati& Hemavati	Karnataka, Tamil Nadu &  Kerala	PFR Completed
16	Pamba - Achankovil - Vaippar link	Pamba, Achankovil & Vaippar	Kerala & Tamil Nadu,	FR Completed
Himalayan Component
1.	Manas-Sankosh-Tista-Ganga (M-S-T-G) link	Manas, Sankosh, Tista and Ganga	Assam, West Bengal,  Bihar& Bhutan	FR completed
2.	Kosi-Ghaghra link	Kosi & Ghaghra	Bihar , Uttar Pradesh & Nepal	PFR completed
3.	Gandak-Ganga link	Gandak& Ganga	-do-	FR  completed (Indian portion)
4.	Ghaghara-Yamuna link	Ghaghara & Yamuna	-do-	FR completed (Indian portion)
5.	Sarda-Yamuna link	Sarda & Yamuna	Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand & Nepal	FR completed (Indian portion)
6.	Yamuna-Rajasthan link	Yamuna & Sukri	Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana & Rajasthan	Draft FR  completed
7.	Rajasthan-Sabarmati link	Sabarmati	-do-	FR  completed
8.	Chunar-Sone Barrage link	Ganga & Sone	Bihar & Uttar3 Pradesh	Draft FR  completed
9.	Sone Dam – Southern Tributaries of Ganga link	Sone & Badua	Bihar & Jharkhand	PFR completed
10.	Ganga(Farakka)-Damodar-Subarnarekha link	Ganga, Damodar & Subarnarekha	West Bengal, Odisha & Jharkhand	Draft FR completed
11.	Subarnarekha-Mahanadi link	Subarnarekha & Mahanadi	West Bengal  & Odisha	FR completed
12.	Kosi-Mechi link	Kosi & Mechi	Bihar , West Bengal & Nepal	PFR completed
13.	Ganga (Farakka)-Sunderbans link	Ganga & Ichhamati	West Bengal	FR  completed
14.	Jogighopa-Tista-Farakka link (Alternative to M-S-T-G)	Manas, Tista & Ganga	-do-	Dropped

$ Integration of Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project of Rajasthan and Parbati – Kalisindh – Chambal link.

• PFR- Pre  Feasibility Report
• FR- Feasibility Report
• DPR- Detailed Project Report

26-Feb-2020: 17th Meeting of the Special Committee for Inter-Linking of Rivers

The Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri Rattan Lal Kataria chaired the 17th Meeting of the Special Committee for Inter-Linking of Rivers (ILR) here today. The Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Shri U.P. Singh, Director General, National Water Development Agency (NWDA), Shri  Bhopal Singh, senior officers from Central and State Governments and experts attended the deliberations.

Addressing the meeting, Shri Kataria said the Inter-Linking of Rivers is a dream project of former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He said the ambitious project comprises 16 rivers of Himalayan origin and 14 in peninsular region. Shri Kataria said the Detailed Project Report (DPR) in respect of Ken-Betwa Inter-State Link Project involving Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh has been completed and hoped work on the project will begin soon. Besides, the DPRs for four projects is in progress, he added.

In his address, Secretary, Department of Water Resource, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (WR, RD & GR), Shri U.P. Singh, underlined the need for expediting the various ILR projects, especially those within a State.

The meeting reviewed the status of the various ILR projects, namely Ken-Betwa Link Project, Cauvery (Kattalai)-Vaigai-Gundar link (IBWT), Bedti-Varda link (IBWT), Damanganga (Ekdare)-Godavari link (Intra-State), Damanganga-Vaitarna-Godavari link (Intra-State), Damanganga-Pinjal and Par-Tapi-Narmada Link Projects, Alternative proposal of Diversion of Godavari waters upto Cauvery basin, Manas-Sankosh-Teesta-Ganga (MSTG) link and Integration of Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project with Parbati- Kalisindh-Chambal link. Status of the 47 Intra-State link proposals from nine States, besides restructuring of the National Water Development Agency, Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers and the National Interlinking of Rivers Authority (NIRA) were also discussed.

The meeting also confirmed the minutes of the 16thMeeting of the Special Committee for Interlinking of Rivers (SCILR) chaired by the Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, held in New Delhi on August 21, 2019.

20-Aug-2018: 15th Meeting of Special Committee for Interlinking of Rivers

Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Shipping, Road Transport & Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari today stressed on the need to develop consensus amongst the concerned states on interlinking of rivers so that the water draining unutilized into the sea could be utilized for the needy areas. He called upon states to discuss and sort out issues through active consultation so that the projects can be implemented on priority.

Reiterating that the project for interlinking of rivers is very important for enhancing water and food security of the country and essential for providing water to drought prone and water deficit areas, Shri Gadkari said that steps have been taken for early implementation of five interlinking projects and Memorandum of Agreement for implementation of these projects is being finalised in consultation with the concerned state governments. These five projects include Ken-Betwa link project, Damanganga-Pinjal link project, Par-Tapi-Narmada link project, Godavari-Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link project and Parvati-Kali Sindhu-Chambal link. National Water Development Agency (NWDA) so far has received 47 proposals of intra-state links from 9 States viz. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh. The successful completion of these projects will lead to reduction in disaster during floods, improved irrigation facilities, employment generation in rural agriculture, and increase in exports and decrease in migration from villages.

Shri Gadkari also suggested that it is high time to think about a proper legal mechanism to resolve inter-state and centre-state issues in ILR projects. He added that river interlinking projects envisage that the surplus water available in Himalayan Rivers be transferred to the areas where water supply is not adequate in the Peninsular India. However, huge quantities of water from several Peninsular rivers drain unutilized into the sea, and river interlinking projects are seriously looking at  transfer of this water to  water deficit areas of Peninsular India.

Shri Gadkari requested the Ministers of various States to identify the river basins which have surplus water availability in their States after meeting all demands, from where water can be transferred to deficit areas so that drought in those areas can be mitigated, agricultural production could be increased, resulting in the upliftment of socio-economic profile of the society.

Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal said that many local issues were sorted out by healthy discussions during the regional conferences which were held in the past few months. He said such conferences and follow up meetings should be promoted.

Representatives of the state governments said that Centre should take them on board while preparing Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) related to ILR projects to avoid any unnecessary delay. Shri Devineni Uma Maheshwar Rao, Minister for Water Resources of Andhra Pradesh Shri D.K. Shiv Kumar, Minister for Water Resources of Karnataka, Shri Satpal Maharaj, Minister for Water Resources of Uttarakhand and Shri T. Harish Rai, Minister for Irrigation for Telangana were present for the meeting

6-Jun-2018: Status-cum-Progress Report of “Special Committee for Inter-Linking of Rivers”

The Union Cabinet has been apprised of the progress report of Special Committee for Inter-Linking of Rivers during 1.7.2016 to 31.3.2018.

The progress report on interlinking of rivers has been submitted to the Cabinet in compliance of the Hon’ble Supreme Court judgement dated 27.02.2012 in the matter of Writ Petition (Civil) – 512 of 2002: “Networking of Rivers” along with Writ Petition No.668 of 2002 which directs the Union Government of India to constitute a Special Committee for Interlinking of Rivers. A periodical report is required to be submitted to the Cabinet on the progress made by the Special Committee for Interlinking of Rivers.

The Status Report of Special Committee on ILR consists of substantial progress made in three priority links namely Ken-Betwa Link, Damanganga-Pinjal Link and Para-Tapi-Narmada Link along with status of other Himalayan and Peninsular links identified as per National Perspective Plan of 1980.