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Rs 423-Cr Nabard Loan for Narmada Link Projects

  • The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) on Wednesday said it had sanctioned a loan assistance of Rs 423 crore to the Gujarat government under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund for an irrigation project.The project, envisaging laying of pipeline to link the Narmada Main Canal with three major reservoirs in Sabarkantha district in North Gujarat, is expected to be completed by December 31, 2015.The State Government had accorded priority to strengthen the water resource infrastructure for supplying surface water to water scarce regions. The project envisages lifting water from the Narmada Main Canal by pipelines to three major reservoirs viz Watrak, Mazam and Meshwo which have a canal network to irrigate 22,397 hactare of land in Sabarkantha, a water scarce district.

  • Mr H.R. Dave, Chief General Manager, Nabard, said apart from irrigation benefits, the proposed project would also provide direct benefits like recharge of groundwater and drinking water facility to 143 villages, reduction in maintenance of tube-wells, enhancement in agricultural activities, increase in soil moisture and green vegetation, besides leading to recurring and nonrecurring employment generation.With this sanction, the cumulative assistance from Nabard to the State government aggregates to Rs 10,877 crore towards rural infrastructure development in the State, against which Rs 7,661 crore has been released up to March 21, 2012, he added.

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