Highlights
- Work on the Saryu Nahar National Project began in 1978.
- The project was completed by the Central government in 4 years.
- PM Modi inaugurated it today in UP's Balrampur.
The Saryu Nahar National Project is a much-anticipated initiative for the benefit of farmers that will be inaugurated today by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Uttar Pradesh's Balrampur. During the announcement of its inauguration, the PM informed that work on the Saryu Nahar National Project began in 1978 but for decades, the project was never completed.
PM Modi said, "You would be shocked to know that work on the Saryu Nahar National Project began in 1978 but for decades, the project was never completed. Costs increased and so did people's woes. A project that was incomplete for four decades has been finished in four years."
As per the Prime Minister's Office, due to lack of continuity of budgetary support, interdepartmental coordination and adequate monitoring, the Saryu Nahar Project was kept waiting even though its foundation was laid in 1978.
The Saryu Nahar National Project has been built at a total cost of more than Rs 9,800 crore, out of which more than Rs 4,600 crore was provisioned in the last four years.
The project also involves the interlinking of five rivers-- Ghaghara, Saryu, Rapti, Banganga and Rohini-- to ensure optimum usage of water resources of the region.
The project will provide assured water for irrigation of over 14 lakh hectares of land and benefit about 29 lakh farmers of over 6,200 villages.
It will benefit nine districts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh namely - Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, Gonda, Siddharthnagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Gorakhpur and Maharajganj.
The farmers of the region, who were the worst sufferers due to delays in the project, will now benefit from the upgraded irrigation potential. They will now be able to grow crops on a larger scale and maximise the agri-potential of the region, the PMO said.