Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Wednesday announced a Rs 5300 crore outlay in the Union Budget 2023 for the Upper Bhadra Irrigation Project, which is meant to benefit the drought-prone areas of Central Karnataka. The Upper Bhadra project is meant to provide micro irrigation to the drought-prone districts of Chitradurga, Tumkur and Davangere by providing water from the Bhadra River in the poll-bound state’s Chikamagalur area. After the announcement, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the finance minister for the Rs 5300 crore allocation for Upper Bhadra Irrigation Project. The major lift irrigation scheme which is under implementation "envisages lifting upto 17.40 TMC of water in the first stage from Tunga to Bhadra and lifting 29.90 TMC of water in the second stage from Bhadra to Tunnel near Ajjampura, in Tungabhadra sub-basin of Krishna basin," according to the project plan. It is planned to irrigate an extent of 2.25 lakh hectares by micro irrigation in drought-prone districts of Chikkamagalur, Chitradurga, Tumkur and Davangere. "The primary objective of the project is to provide a sustainable irrigation facility in kharif season and the other objective of the project is to recharge the groundwater table and provide drinking water by filling 367 tanks to their 50% capacity in drought-prone taluks of the above-said districts," according to the project plan. The Karnataka Government accorded administrative approval for the implementation of the project at a cost of Rs. 21473 crore.
