Bhopal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the Rs 49,000 crore Ken-Betwa river linking project at Khajuraho in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav made the announcement here on Monday.
The project is billed to solve the water crisis in the dry areas of Bundelkhand in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
“Prime Minister Modi is going to lay the foundation stone of Ken-Betwa river linking project on December 25 on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who dreamed of linking the rivers,” Yadav said.
He said that the project will ensure irrigation, water supply, hydroelectricity and solar energy generation and also provide water for setting up industries in Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Bundelkhand is a perennial drought region.
Extensive deforestation in the region over the years is a major reason why Bundelkhand experiences low monsoon rainfall, leading to drought in the belt.
Bundelkhand is the most backward region of the country.
This project will benefit the farmers of 10 districts of Madhya Pradesh and four districts of Uttar Pradesh.