Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav said today that
the Ken–Betwa River Link Project is a very important national project with many uses.
He explained that the project will help irrigate 10.62 lakh hectares of land. During Question
Hour in the Lok Sabha, he also said that the project will include 103 megawatts of
hydroelectric power and 27 megawatts of solar power, which will benefit 10 districts in Madhya Pradesh and 4 districts in Uttar Pradesh.
Mr. Yadav told the House that the project will provide 194 million cubic metres
(MCM) of drinking water for 62 lakh people. He added that the Ministry has already
given all environmental clearances and is taking every step to protect the
biodiversity, plants, and animals in the project area.
A historic agreement to launch this project was signed on March 22, 2021, between
the Union Minister of Jal Shakti and the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and
Uttar Pradesh. This is the first major centrally driven river-linking project in India.
The project will transfer water from the Ken River to the Betwa River by building
the Daudhan Dam and a connecting canal.
The Ken–Betwa project is expected to improve the socio-economic conditions of the
backward Bundelkhand region by increasing farming activities and creating more jobs.