Jaipur, Jan 22 (IANS ) On the first anniversary of the grand Prana Pratishtha ceremony of Lord Ram at Ramjanmabhoomi in UP's Ayodhya, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma on Wednesday announced the renaming of the revised Parvati-Kalisindh-Chambal (PKC) Link Project to the Ramjal Setu Link Project.
An MoA ceremony was held on December 17 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during which water from the Parvati, Kali Sindh, and Chambal rivers was symbolically poured into the Ram Setu Jal Sankalp Kalash.
On Wednesday, the Chief Minister unveiled the official poster for the newly renamed project, saying, "On this day last year, after a wait of 500 years, Lord Shri Ram was consecrated in the grand temple at his birthplace in Ayodhya. Inspired by Lord Ram’s victory and his symbolic act of building a bridge over the sea, this ambitious river-linking project aims to make Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh prosperous under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He added that Lord Ram connected one end to the other by building a bridge over the sea for the victory of truth.
“Taking inspiration from him, this ambitious project of connecting rivers has been brought under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh Sujalam Sufalam," he said.
The Chief Minister also highlighted that the project fulfils the vision of former Prime Minister Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee to connect India’s rivers.
Upon completion, the Ramjal Setu Link Project will supply water for drinking and irrigation to 40 per cent of Rajasthan’s population. Surplus rainwater from Chambal and its tributaries—Kunnu, Kool, Parvati, Kalisindh, and Mej—will be redirected to the basins of the Banas, Morel, Banganga, Ruparel, Parvatani, and Gambhir rivers.
The project aims to make 4102 million cubic meters of water available, including 522 MCM of recycled water.
The Chief Minister further emphasised that the Ramjal Setu Link Project is not just about water management but a transformative step toward economic and agricultural sustainability in the region.
He said that the new scheme will enhance drinking water supply. Adequate drinking water will be provided for approximately 17 districts of Rajasthan by 2054, benefiting over 3.25 crore people.
Similarly, new irrigation facilities will be made available for 2.5 lakh hectares and additional irrigation water for 1.5 lakh hectares of agricultural land will be provided.
Also, industrial development will be provided as water resources for industrial growth in the project areas will be made available, he added.
The announcement ceremony was attended by prominent dignitaries, including Water Resources Minister Suresh Singh Rawat, Minister of State for Home Jawahar Singh Bedham, Rajasthan Heritage Authority Chairman Omkar Singh Lakhawat, MP Madan Rathore, MLA Bahadur Singh Koli, Shailesh Singh, and Subhash Garg.
Senior officials like Additional Chief Secretary of Water Resources Abhay Kumar, Finance Secretary Akhil Arora, and Chief Minister’s Office Additional Secretary Shikhar Aggarwal were also present.
Courtesy Media Group: IANS