Second Ken-Betwa Link Project Steering Committee Meeting held.

• Recently, the Steering Committee of the Ken-Betwa Link Project (SC-KBLP) conducted its second meeting.
• Members from the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, as well as representatives from the NITI Aayog and different central ministries, attended the conference.

KEY POINTS:

• The Ken-Betwa link project, is crucial for the water security and socioeconomic development of the Bundelkhand region, should be implemented in a time-bound manner using state-of-the-art technologies and know-how while properly taking care of R&R for project affected people and conservation of the region, in particular the landscape-dependent species of the Panna Tiger Reserve.
• Deliberations on the implementation of an integrated landscape management plan for Greater Panna prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India.
• It was also proposed to constitute a Technical Advisory Group for KBLP to review and advise the Authority on various planning and technical matters.
• An R&R Committee to monitor the implementation of R&R plan in transparent and time bound manner was proposed to be constituted.
• A Greater Panna Landscape council was also proposed to be constituted for implementation of Landscape Management Plan (LMP) and Environment Management Plan (EMP) of the project.

Ken Betwa (ILR) Project Details

• It is a project proposed to transfer excess water from the River Ken to the Betwa basin through the use of a concrete canal. The project aims to provide irrigation to the Bundelkhand region, which is one of the worst drought-affected areas in India.
• The beneficiary states are Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
• It will meet the irrigation purposes, drinking water, and electricity needs of 6 districts in both states.
• The proposed concrete canal would be 221 km long. It will pass through Jhansi, Banda, and Mahoba districts of UP and Chhatarpur, Panna, and Tikamgarh districts of MP.
• A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Centre and the governments of UP and MP for the project.
• Nearly 8,650 hectares of forest land including part of Panna National Parkin Madhya Pradesh will be submerged if the project were to become a reality.