PrimeMinister Narendra Modi on Monday virtually launched the 'catch the rain'campaign programme and also congratulated the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradeshand Uttar Pradesh for signing a MoU on the Ken-Betwa link project.
Thelaunch was organised to mark World Water Day to raise awareness about waterconservation. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said, "The morewe encourage our 'Nari Shakti', the better will be our 'Jan Bhagidari' inconserving our water resources. I congratulate the government of Uttar Pradeshand Madhya Pradesh for the Ken-Betwa link project, it will change the waterlandscape of the nearby areas."
"Peoplefrom Rajasthan and Gujarat understand water related problems well as there iswater scarcity. I am also from Gujarat and faced such problems too. And it isthe reason that in the Union Water Ministry we have a minister from the regionto tackle such issues," the Prime Minister said.
Healso said that there will be more women participation in Jal Jeevan Mission asno one understands the worth better than them. It will be the first time sinceIndependence that a government has worked so seriously for water-testing. Over4 lakh women have been trained for (rain) water testing, he said.
Asper the Ministry, the Jal Shakti Abhiyan -- 'Catch the Rain' will be taken upin all districts, rural as well as urban areas with the main theme "Catchthe Rain, where it falls, when it falls". The campaign will be implementedduring the period from March 22 to November 30 -- the pre-monsoon and monsoonperiod in the country.
Thecampaign is being launched as a Jan Andolan to take water conservation atgrassroots level through people's participation to accelerate waterconservation across the country.
Inthe presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Minister of Jal Shaktiand the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh signed theagreement to implement the Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP), the first project ofthe National Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers.
KBLPinvolves transfer of water from the Ken to the Betwa River through theconstruction of Daudhan Dam and a canal linking the two rivers, the Lower OrrProject, Kotha Barrage and Bina Complex Multipurpose Project. The project willprovide an annual irrigation of 10.62 lakh hectares, drinking water supply toabout 62 lakh people and also generate 103 MW of hydropower.
TheProject will be of immense benefit to the water-starved region of Bundelkhand,spread across Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, specifically to the districtsof Panna, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Sagar, Damoh, Datia, Vidisha, Shivpuri andRaisen of Madhya Pradesh and Banda, Mahoba, Jhansi and Lalitpur of UttarPradesh.