PM reviews projects under Amrit Sarovar Mission with chief secretaries
VIJAYAWADA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the progress of implementation of several projects taken up under the Amrit Sarovar Mission with chief secretaries of several states, including Andhra Pradesh, in virtual mode from New Delhi on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister took stock of the progress of the works on national highways, the laying of new railway lines and gas pipelines and installation of several thermal power projects.
AP Chief Secretary K.S. Jawahar Reddy, special chief secretaries Praveen Kumar, B. Rajasekhar etc attended the review.
Modi launched the Amrit Sarovar Mission on April 24, 2022, with an objective to develop and rejuvenate 75 water bodies in each district, marking the celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. The Mission is scheduled to be completed by August 15, 2023.
Noting that water was one of the most important natural resources and stressing the need to avoid water shortage, the PM had called for construction of 75 Sarovars (ponds) in each district across the country. Each such Amrit Sarovar is coming up in an area of a minimum of one acre with a water-holding capacity of nearly 10,000 cubic metre. The soil and silt excavated by digging up the ponds would be used for infrastructure projects like railways, NHAI etc.
The Amrit Sarovar would be geo-tagged. The Amrit Sarovar Mission gets funding from several sources like MGNREGS, XV Finance Commission Grants, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana etc.
In AP, as many as 4,247 sites have been identified for developing Amrit Sarovars. Of these, works commenced on 2,551 sites and these were completed at 943 sites so far.
The NHAI has taken up works on the Thimmanna tank at T Narasapuram, the Balabhadra tank at Vallampatla, the Sarachandra tank and the Annappa tank in Eluru district, the Nellakantaraju tank in Thatipudi in Vizianagaram district, the Jingilapalem tank and Guntakindapalli tank in Balaji Tirupati district, the Boppudi Cheruvu in Palnadu district and two Pedaparimi Panchayat ponds in Guntur district.
Works on these tanks are under various stages of completion.
