Central aid provided for Sardar Sarovar Project

Ahmedabad: Sardar Sarovar Project has received central assistance worth Rs 5375.35 crore so far, which is highest provided to any project in the country.

Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav, the minister of state for water resources informed this to Rajya Sabha.

The minister also informed that the Sardar Sarovar Project was eligible for 90 per cent grant for irrigation component of the project falling under drought prone and tribal area. The central assistance to the project was provided under Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP), the minister said. The total project cost of SSP is estimated to be about Rs 40,000 crore.

The Sardar Sarovar Project will provide irrigation facilities to 18.45 lakh hectares of land, covering 3112 villages of 73 talukas in 15 districts of Gujarat. It will also irrigate 75,000 hectares of land in the strategic desert districts of Barmer and Jallore in Rajasthan and 37,500 hectares in the tribal hilly tract of Maharashtra through lift.

About 75% of the command area in Gujarat is drought prone while entire command (75,000 ha) in Rajasthan is drought prone. Assured water supply is expected to soon make this area drought proof.

There will be two power houses with an installed capacity of 1200 MW and 250 MW. The power would be shared by three states Madhya Pradesh 57%, Maharashtra 27% and Gujarat 16%, according to the official website.

Yadav said that the power houses of the Sardar Sarovar Project were completed. A series of micro hydel power stations are also planned on the branch canals where convenient falls are available.