TRANSFORMATIVE BUDGET MARKS SIGNIFICANT STRIDE IN WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, ASSERTS MINISTER BARINDER KUMAR GOYAL

Chandigarh : Punjab Water Resources Minister Sh. Barinder Kumar Goyal today hailed the state government's fourth budget as an exceptionally strategic, forward-looking and comprehensive roadmap for sustainable water management and agricultural development.

Listing the budget highlights, Minister Sh. Goyal asserted Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led government's commitment to addressing critical water challenges through innovative and targeted interventions.

He informed that in the Budget 2025-26, the Shahpur Kandi Dam Project emerges as a cornerstone of the government's visionary infrastructure planning, with a substantial investment of Rs.2604-CR. This landmark project is poised to generate 1042 MU of hydroelectricity and enhance irrigation across 1.55 lakh hectares in the Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) system. The project will directly benefit districts including Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Pathankot, marking a significant milestone in the state's water resource management strategy.

He said that recognizing the critical groundwater situation, where extraction rates have reached an alarming 166% with 117 out of 153 blocks being overexploited, the Mann government has developed a comprehensive strategy for the fiscal year 2025-26. The initiatives include the installation of 40 deep tubewells in Rupnagar, SBS Nagar, Hoshiarpur, S.A.S. Nagar (Mohali) and Pathankot and 167 shallow tubewells near the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers. Besides this, the plan encompasses irrigation expansion across 7877 hectares at a total cost of Rs.85-crore. In financial year 2025-26, total 63000 hectares will be covered under these projects, including laying underground pipelines with an estimated cost of Rs.315 crore. The state government has identified Rs.8227 crore worth of surface water projects to expand canal irrigation in previously excluded areas.

Besides this, a new project is proposed for the reclamation of waterlogged land in Fazilka district, while efforts will also be made to develop irrigation infrastructure, provide micro-irrigation subsidies and implement water harvesting projects in the Kandi area, benefiting 30,000 hectares, he added.

"This budget echoing our government's holistic approach to water resource management," said Sh. Barinder Kumar Goyal, adding that we are not just addressing immediate challenges but laying the groundwork for Punjab's sustainable and prosperous agricultural future. The strategic interventions demonstrate a forward-thinking approach to addressing the state's water resource challenges, balancing immediate needs with long-term sustainable development goals, he added.

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