The 17th edition of the Special Committee for Inter-Linking of Rivers (ILR) was held on 26 February in New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by the Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Social Justice & Empowerment Rattan Lal Kataria. Highlights: The Inter-Linking of Rivers, the vision of former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was discussed in detail. The project comprises 16 rivers of Himalayan origin and 14 in the peninsular region. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Ken-Betwa Inter-State Link Project involving Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh was completed and reviewed in the meeting. The project is expected to begin soon. Also, DPRs for four projects that are in progress were also reviewed. The meeting highlighted the need for expediting the various ILR projects, especially those within a State. The status of the various ILR projects, including Bedti-Varda link (IBWT), Ken-Betwa Link Project, Damanganga (Ekdare)-Godavari link (Intra-State), Cauvery (Kattalai)-Vaigai-Gundar link (IBWT), Damanganga-Vaitarna-Godavari link (Intra-State), Damanganga-Pinjal and Par-Tapi-Narmada Link Projects, Alternative proposal of Diversion of Godavari waters up to Cauvery basin, Manas-Sankosh-Teesta-Ganga (MSTG) link and Integration of Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project with Parbati- Kalisindh-Chambal link were reviewed. Also, the Status of the 47 Intra-State link proposals from nine States, besides restructuring of the National Water Development Agency, Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers and the National Interlinking of Rivers Authority (NIRA) were discussed. Participants: The meeting was attended by the Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Shri U.P. Singh, Director General, National Water Development Agency (NWDA), Shri Bhopal Singh, senior officers from Central and State Governments and several experts. Note: The 16th Meeting of the Special Committee for Interlinking of Rivers (SCILR) was held in New Delhi on 21 August 2019. It was chaired by the Union Minister of JalShakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
