Ahead of elections, Modi woos Uttar Pradesh farmers with Saryu Nahar project

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Saryu Nahar National Project, which will provide assured water for irrigation of over 14 lakh hectares of land, in Uttar Pradesh's Balrampur district.

Remembering India's first Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat and other soldiers killed in Coonoor chopper crash, PM Modi said, "India is mourning but despite being in pain, neither do we stop our pace nor our development. India won't stop. India won't be at a standstill. Together, we Indians will work hard and face every challenge inside and outside the country."

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said the project has been built at a total cost of over Rs 9,800 crore, out of which more than Rs 4,600 crore was provisioned in the last four years. The project also involves the interlinking of five rivers -- Ghaghara, Saryu, Rapti, Banganga and Rohini -- to ensure optimum usage of water resources of the region.

It will benefit nine districts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, namely Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, Gonda, Siddharthnagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Gorakhpur and Maharajganj, the statement said.

The farmers of the region, who were the worst sufferers of the inordinate delay in the project, will now immensely benefit from the upgraded irrigation potential, it said.

More to follow...

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