Irrigation Projects, Mission Kaktiya Get Rs.25000 Cr.

Hyderabad: Finance Minister Etela Rajender in the annual budget for the year 2016-17 presented in the State Assembly on Monday, allocated an amount of Rs.25,000 crores for construction of various irrigation projects, besides the Mission Kakatiya.
The Finance Minister in his budget speech noted that such a huge allocation of resources to the irrigation sector was unprecedented and amply demonstrated the commitment of the TRS Government to provide irrigation waters to the farmers. He reminded that under the pretext of inter-state disputes, construction of projects was not taken up in the combined state of Andhra Pradesh. As a matter of fact, the people in Telangana region felt that unless a separate Telangana State was formed, farmers would not be able to get the needed water for Godavari and Krishna rivers, he observed.
Thus after the formation of Telangana State, the Finance Minister said the Chief Minister had taken up the task of redesigning the projects and plans were drawn up to provide irrigation to about one crore acres. Following the understanding reached with the Maharashtra Government recently, the decks have been cleared for taking up projects at Medigadda on river Godavari, Tummadihatti on the Pranahita, Rajapet, Chanakha-Korta and Pimprad on Penganga. Palamuru Lift Irrigation Scheme will cover southern Telangana while Kaleswaram project will cover northern Telangana. Adilabad district will receive irrigation from the Pranahita project and the Sri Sitarama Project and Bhakta Ramadasu projects will provide irrigation facilities to Khammam district.
The Finance Minister further stated that along with these major and medium projects, steps have been already taken to rejuvenate and restore tanks. About 9000 tanks are being taken up every year for restoration. This year restoration was done on a mission mode with the active participation of the people and the second phase would commence shortly.
Out of the proposed outlay of Rs.25,000 crores, the Finance Minister said Rs.7861 crore was allotted for Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation scheme, Rs.6286 crore for Kaleshwaram project and Rs.1152 crore for Sitarama and Bhakta Ramadasu lift irrigation schemes. (NSS)