The Central governments Bundelkhand package will now also be utilised for restoring traditional water resources in the Bundelkhand region. Under the package,the state government has been given Rs 8.71 crore for restoration and repairs of water sources in Mahoba district and Rs 10 crore for irrigation projects in Lalitpur district. The Centre has already given a green signal to these projects in March and the state departments of Irrigation and Minor Irrigation will be starting off work by April. The Bundelkhand package is one of the biggest central assistance being provided for the drought-affected region. The major part of this package is for afforestation,restoration and construction of canals,dams and checkdams for managing water resources and also,projects that promote employment in the drought-hit districts. In UP,the project will cover Lalitpur,Jhansi,Mahoba,Hamirpur,Jalaun,Banda and Chitrakoot districts. For Mahoba,the state had sent projects worth Rs 12.44 crore for approval,of which the Centre has approved and released Rs 8.71 crore. Out of the total funds,Rs 3.14 crore will be used for repair of Kabrai dam,Rs 70.7 lakh for Charkhari area,Rs 7.4 crore for restoration of Salarpur Tank and Rs 1.18 crore for restoration of ponds in Dasrapur area. Giving details,the Commissioner,Jhansi Division,SN Shukla said,We want to ensure the work starts off by April and most of it is done by mid-June. The projects will prove to be a major relief for the farmers in the area and will support irrigation in a big way. Since the money is being released in time,we are expecting that the work will also start off as soon as possible. For Lalitpur,Rs 10 crore have been approved for 12 units of Ramganga Command Project. Under the project,a network of small water channels,connecting the water resources to the agriculture fields,will be constructed in the district. This will benefit 6800 farmers of the districts,who will be able to get water for irrigation.
