National Project Status should be granted to ERCP: CM Gehlot

Jun 19, 2019

New Delhi, June 17 (ANI): 5th NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was organised at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Addressing the meeting, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot presented a strong case for Rajasthan on several important issues of state's development including drinking water, rainwater harvesting, agriculture, drought management and health etc. He asked the centre for providing the Union government's share in the centrally-sponsored schemes on time and demanded support from the centre for strengthening Rajasthan's financial management. Gehlot also demanded that Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) should be declared a national project. This project is expected to supply drinking water to 13-districts of Rajasthan and make irrigation water available for an additional 2 lakh hectares of land. Gehlot further asked for approval of proposals for external financial aid worth Rs 1454 crore for Phase 3 of Rajiv Gandhi Lift Canal Project. Through this project, drinking water would be supplied to 2014 villages and five towns of Jodhpur, Barmer and Pali districts upto year 2051.