MP CM bets big on river linking, aims 10 million hectare irrigation cover in 5 years

Chachaura (Madhya Pradesh), July 25 Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav on Friday announced an ambitious target to bring 10 million hectare under irrigation over the next five years.

Addressing a public gathering organised to express gratitude for initiating the Parvati-Kalisindh-Chambal river-linking initiative, also known as the Kumbhraj Major Irrigation Project, Dr Yadav noted that the BJP government has expanded irrigation coverage from just 7 lakh hectares to 55 lakh hectares over the past two decades. He hailed the new project as a transformative leap in rural infrastructure and water security, underscoring the state’s commitment to agrarian revival and equitable resource access.

The announcement came with a striking comparison as he criticised the previous Congress government. He said, “Congress could provide irrigation to only 7 lakh hectares in 55 years. We've expanded it to 55 lakh hectares.” Speaking on the occasion, he said that working women in private companies will get Rs 14,000 per month as the state government will chip in Rs 6,000 and the factory owner will contribute Rs 8,000 per month.

Also, he further announced that his government would ensure Rs 1,500 per month to eligible women under ‘Ladli Behna Yojana’ from Bhai-Dooj festival which would be increased to Rs 3,000 by 2028. CM Yadav stated, highlighting what the government calls a watershed moment for the state’s agrarian landscape. The project will irrigate 6.14 lakh hectares of land and will benefit 40 lakh people of 13 districts. The project also carries symbolic weight.

Recalling the era when dacoit violence plagued the Chambal belt, the Chief Minister said farmers once had to defend their harvest from plunder, while commerce was stifled by fear. “Now, traders and farmers can thrive without fear,” he asserted, linking irrigation development to broader law-and-order gains.

Central to the initiative is the Kumbhraj Major Irrigation Project, planned across the Parvati River in Chachaura block of Guna district. The site lies between Ghatakhedi and Chachoura villages, and is accessible via NH-3, roughly 80 km from Rajgarh, 45 km from Guna, and 190 km from Bhopal. The Parvati River—stretching 470 km before meeting the Yamuna in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh—is a critical water source in the Chambal-Betwa basin.

In Rajgarh and Guna districts, irrigation currently touches only 8.1 per cent of the net cropped area. The terrain remains rain-fed, yields are low, and poverty is persistent. With suitable physiographic conditions and untapped flows, the project promises year-round water access for domestic and agricultural use. It aims to transform a drought-prone region into a thriving agrarian zone, bringing stability to farmers long dependent on erratic monsoons.

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