Uttar Pradesh completes 976 irrigation projects, benefiting 185 lakh frarmers

LUCKNOW: The state govt completed 976 large and small irrigation projects, creating an additional 48.32 lakh hectares of irrigation potential in the last eight years. As a result, around 185.33 lakh farmers directly benefited, a state govt spokesperson said on Monday.
According to the spokesperson, the irrigated area in Uttar Pradesh grew from 82.58 lakh hectares in 2017 to 133 lakh hectares at present. Uttar Pradesh is the only state where 76% of farmland is under cultivation and 86% of total land is irrigated.
Notably, under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi

Sinchai Yojana

, three major and ambitious projects—the Saryu Canal Project, Arjun Sahayak Project, and Bansagar Project—were completed and dedicated to the people.
The state govt said that the momentum continues with Phase 2 of the Madhya Ganga Nagar Project, the Kanhar Irrigation Project, and a new barrage on the Rohin River in Maharajganj underway. Once completed, these initiatives will add irrigation capacity for another 5 lakh hectares, benefiting over 7 lakh farmers, the spokesperson said.

The upcoming Ken-Betwa River Link Project promises to transform agriculture in Bundelkhand. Upon completion, it will irrigate 2.51 lakh hectares in Jhansi,

Mahoba

, Banda, and

Lalitpur

and provide drinking water to 21 lakh people.
The river linking project, a visionary initiative first conceived by former Prime Minister

Atal Bihari

Vajpayee, was designed as a permanent solution to the country’s recurring floods and droughts.
The state govt also ensured the timely completion of the Saryu Canal Project, which had been lying in limbo for years. Conceptualized in 1971–72, the Saryu Canal Project remained stalled for decades. While work began in 1978, it made little headway. Initially covering two districts, it was expanded to nine districts in 1982.
Likewise, the Arjun Sahayak Project was launched in 2008–09. But the project saw sluggish progress for nearly a decade. Until 2017, only 737 hectares of land were acquired, and 55 km of canal were constructed.
However, after CM Yogi Adityanath took charge, land acquisition rose to 1,673 hectares, and 189 km of canal were constructed between 2017 and 2021, the spokesperson claimed.
The same was the case with the Bansagar Project, which was completed in 2018. The project delivers irrigation to 1.50 lakh hectares of land and benefits nearly 2 lakh farmers.
These efforts reflect a comprehensive strategy to make water accessible to every farmer, ensuring sustainable agriculture and enhanced rural livelihoods across the state, the spokesperson said.