A parliamentary standing committee flagged significant underutilisation of funds and delays in India's ambitious river interlinking programme, urging the government to accelerate implementation of stalled projects.
The committee reported that only 58 per cent of the revised allocation of Rs 21,640.88 crore for FY25 for water projects was spent by December 2024, leaving nearly 40 per cent of funds unspent.
The panel highlighted ongoing issues with river interlinking projects, including the stalled implementation of the Ken-Betwa Link Project and other major inter-state water transfer schemes.
The National Perspective Plan envisions 30 interlinking projects-16 under the Peninsular Component and 14 under the Himalayan Component-designed to transfer water from surplus river basins to deficit areas.
However, progress remains sluggish due to inter-state disputes, insufficient studies, and incomplete project reports.
The Ken-Betwa Link Project, India's first river interlinking initiative inaugurated in December 2024, was meant to pave the way for the broader programme.
Despite detailed project reports being completed for 11 links and feasibility reports for 24 links, only one project has entered the implementation stage.
The overall programme, estimated at Rs 8.44 lakh crore, aims to provide irrigation to 35 million hectares and generate 34,000 MW of hydropower.
The parliamentary committee urged the Jal Shakti Ministry to strengthen monitoring mechanisms, resolve inter-state water disputes, and fast-track approvals for critical projects.
The ministry attributed the low spending to the fact that expenditure typically increases after the monsoon season, assuring the panel that pending proposals worth Rs 3,000 crore were under active consideration.
The committee called for improved oversight of state-level execution and recommended a reassessment of resource allocation to ensure efficient utilisation and timely project completion.
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