Why in News?

=> Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the Saryu Canal National Project to the nation at a cost of Rs 9800 crore in Balrampur district of Uttar Pradesh. 

Key Points:

=> It is known that the work of the Saryu Canal National Project was started four decades ago in the Bahraich district during the tenure of Indira Gandhi in the year 1978, then the cost of this project was less than 100 crores. In the year 1982, 9 districts including Balrampur were connected with this project.

=> The length of this project is 318 km, while 6623 km long canal systems have been constructed, which are linked to this project.

• It was declared a national project in the year 2012.

=> With this project, more than 30 lakh farmers of 6,227 villages of Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, Gonda, Siddharthnagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Gorakhpur and Maharajganj districts of Uttar Pradesh will be benefited and about 15 lakh hectares of these 9 districts will get irrigation facility.

=> The Chief Minister said that the Saryu Canal National Project fulfills the dream of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, 'River Connect Project'. This project connects Ghaghara River with Saryu River, Saryu River with Rapti River, Rapti River with Banganga River and Banganga River with Rohin River respectively.

=> With this project, the farmers of this area will be able to do other agricultural work like vegetable and horticulture.

• The income of farmers will increase due to increase in agricultural production.

=> In order to double the income of farmers by the year 2022, about 100 irrigation projects have been targeted in the country and the work of taking forward these irrigation projects in a time bound manner has started.

=> Out of the 18 projects that were selected under this scheme, 17 projects have been completed. With the completion of these 17 irrigation projects, 22 lakh hectares of land is getting irrigation facility