Jaipur, Dec 17 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday participated in the 'Ek Varsh-Parinaam Utkarsh', marking the completion of one year of Bhajanlal government.
He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 24 projects related to Energy, Road, Railways and Water worth over Rs 46,300 crore, including the interlinking of 11 rivers in the state.
The interlinking of rivers, under the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) is an ambitious move to link at least 11 rivers in the state, to turn the state from a water-deficient to a water-surplus state.
Addressing the gathering, PM Modi highlighted former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's vision of linking rivers and also recalled his government's efforts in bringing waters from the Narmada river to various parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
PM Modi also remarked that he envisions a day when Rajasthan will no longer face water scarcity and will have it in abundance for the region's development.
Many local residents expressed happiness over the green signal to the long-pending ERCP and thanked the Prime Minister for initiating a project that could prove to be a "game-changer" in eliminating the water crisis from the state.
A resident sharing his joy told IANS, "Rajasthan is a large state but over the last 75 years, successive governments have only given empty promises to address the water crisis. A small effort was made by Ganga Prasad, which led to the Rajasthan Canal project. However, it did not meet expectations. Now, with the ERCP scheme being implemented across 13-14 districts, and PM Modi personally announcing it to the public, it is set to be a remarkable addition to the state. Around 40 per cent of the state’s landmass will finally have access to water."
"PM Modi is a leader, whom the people trust. Under the ERCP scheme, the long-standing water issues in eastern Rajasthan are being addressed. In coming days, Rajasthan will witness areas, where groundwater levels had reached zero, finally receiving water. This initiative will be historic," said another resident.
A resident from Rajasthan's Shekhawati said, "I want to express my gratitude to PM Modi for inaugurating the ERCP scheme, which will benefit numerous districts in Rajasthan. In the coming days, the work initiated under this scheme will start showing fruitful results."
"Rajasthan is a vast state geographically, with a significant portion being arid. Despite this, no government took meaningful steps to resolve the water crisis. We have faced this problem for decades, but now PM Modi has given us this invaluable gift, and we are truly grateful," said another resident.
PM Modi also told the gathering that soon after the formation of BJP governments in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, an agreement was reached on the Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal link project, which would interlink the Chambal River and its tributaries, including Parbati, Kalisindh, Kuno, Banas, Banas, Ruparel, Gambhiri, and Mej rivers.
He said that this water pact will provide irrigation and drinking water to 21 districts in Rajasthan while accelerating the development of both Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
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