Modi kicks off ambitious Ken-Betwa river project

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of the interstate Ken-Betwa river linking project to channel excess water from the Ken river in Madhya Pradesh into the Betwa, saying the long-awaited linkage will open new doors of prosperity in the Bundelkhand region.

Nearly 4.4 million people across 12 districts of Madhya Pradesh and 2.1 million in 10 districts areas of Uttar Pradesh will get drinking water under the project, which is estimated to cost ₹44,605 crore, and overall a million hectares of farmland covering 2,000 villages will benefit from the project that is also projected to generate 103MW of hydropower and 27MW of solar energy, officials aware of the plans said.

The project was first envisaged following a feasibility study by the National Water Development Authority (NWDA) in 1995 at a cost of ₹1998.74 crore. Ten years later in 25 August 2005, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and the Union government for preparation of a detailed feasibility report, which was completed in 2014. In 2023, approval was received from the environment ministry, clearing all decks for the project.

Speaking at the inauguration, the PM launched a scathing attack on the Congress, accusing it of short-changing citizens by not building enough infrastructure and of ignoring Dr BR Ambedkar's contribution to water resources development in the country. His comments came at a time when opposition parties including the Congress are accusing Union home minister Amit Shah of belittling Dr Ambedkar during a discussion in Parliament on 75 years of the Constitution. The Congress has been protesting across the country citing a clipped portion of Shah's comments that was shared widely on social media. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Congress of deliberately taking the remarks out of context and of ignoring Ambedkar's contribution in nation-building.