Centre changes narrative on denying national status to Kaleshwaram project
Hyderabad: The Centre has changed its tune on the issue of not granting national status to Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) after Telangana raising questions on the centre’s decision to confer national status to Upper Bhadra project in Karnataka. It claimed that the KLIS was ineligible to be included as a National Project scheme, in view of pending investment clearance.
Responding to a question raised by Congress MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Bishweshwar Tudu admitted that Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi twice (in February 2016 and December 2018) to include KLIS under National Project scheme. However, in view of pending investment clearance, the project was found to be ineligible for inclusion under NP scheme.
Telangana wanted the Centre to accord national project status either to the Kaleshwaram or Palamuru-Rangareddy project and the issue was taken up repeatedly with the union government. But, the then union Irrigation Minister Nitin Gadkari told TRS MPs in Lok Sabha that the Centre was not according national project status to any irrigation project as it shelved the policy and no irrigation project in the country would get national project status in future.
But its recent decision to confer national project status to Upper Bhadra project, was contradictory to its earlier stand. The Centre would provide Rs 16,125 crore to the Upper Bhadra project under the National Project scheme. With the TRS MPs grilling the Centre repeatedly on the issue in the Parliament apart from the mounting pressure from the State government, the union government appears to have changed the narrative now.
Further, the minister said for inclusion of a project for funding under National Projects scheme of Department of Water Resources, the project had to be first appraised by the Central Water Commission (CWC) and accepted by the Advisory Committee. Thereafter, investment clearance is required to be obtained by the State government. Subsequently, if the project meets the laid down norms for the scheme, it is required to be considered by the High Powered Steering Committee (HPSC) set up for the purpose. On being recommended by HPSC, and as per availability of funds etc., the Government of India may approve inclusion of a project under the scheme.
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