Centre likely to consider PRLIS for AIBP funding

Centre would be extending 60 per cent of the project cost, while the State has to meet the rest as its share

Hyderabad: Even as the Centre has finally ruled out the scope for according national project status for the Palamuru Ranga Reddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, it has agreed in principle for funding the scheme under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP).

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekawat has reportedly assured State authorities to this effect while directing them to get the interstate issues and the hydrological issues involved in the implementation of the project cleared at the earliest. The Project officials have shouldered the task of posing the project under the AIB programme as desired by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

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The Centre would be extending 60 per cent of the project cost, while the State has to meet the rest as its share. Only the major and medium irrigation projects which were in an advanced stage of implementation and proved to be beyond the scope of the State government to meet the cost would be considered for AIBP funding.

The Jal Shakti Ministry made its limitations clear to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy when they called on him in New Delhi on January 5. While ruling out the scope for considering the PRLIS as a national project, he made it clear that the Centre could not accord the national project status to any new scheme during the last nine years.

However the Jal Shakti Minister had responded in a positive manner to the State’s request, indicating that the Centre would consider the scope for funding the project to the possible extent and the AIBP was considered the best option. The State had already spent over 40 per cent of the project cost on the drinking water component of the scheme and partly on the pump houses which are common for drinking water and irrigation water components.

Multiple clearances were already obtained and the decks were cleared for the environmental clearance as well. The project would facilitate lifting of 1.50 TMC a day for 60 days during the flood season from foreshore of Srisailam Project on Krishna river near at Yellur village in Kollapur of Nagarkurnool District. It involved five stages of lifting to take water to KP Laxmidevipally village near Shadnagar town which is the highest elevation in between erstwhile Mahabubnagar and Rangareddy districts before drawing it by gravity to the beneficiary pockets.

The government has included PRLIS as an additional mandate of the Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project Corporation Limited and accorded approval for borrowing Rs.10,000 crore. Approval was given for borrowing an additional term loan of Rs.10,000 crore from the Power Finance Corporation. So far, PFC has disbursed a loan of Rs.4518.82 crore.

The project was estimated to cost Rs.35000 crore and the government had spent Rs.15408.94 crore on the project. Former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao inaugurated the Stage I pump house of the project on September 6 after a successful wet run. On September 16, Chandrashekhar Rao operationalised the first phase of Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme inaugurating the Narlapur pump house after its successful wet run in Nagarkurnool district.

As many as 11 State projects were being funded under the AIBP programme, They included SRSP Stage II and J Chokkarao project.

PRLIS to be one more addition to AIBP scheme

Centre -State have to share its cost on 60-40 ratio

Status of National Project ruled out

Eleven TS projects already being funded under AIBP