Centre looking for funding for its Rs 60,000 cr river-linking project, says Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said that the Centre is looking for funding for its Rs 60,000 crore project to link Godavari and Cauvery rivers. The project, for which the plan has been prepared, will save about 1,200 tmc ft of Godavari water that drains into the sea and dramatically satisfy the irrigation needs of farmers in Tamil Nadu, he said. Gadkari was addressing students of NIT Puducherry at their 6th Convocation ceremony.

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Speaking at the event Gadkari said, "...We need a loan for a project of Rs 60,000 crore. It will save about 1,200 tmc ft of Godavari water that drains into the sea."  

He also added that the government is planning to link the rivers Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Cauvery through the project. The Minister had earlier said that the government would raise finances for the project either from the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank. 

Gadkari, who gave away degrees to 104 B.Tech graduates, urged them to take up social impact projects solving various social challenges, making use of the locally available resources. 

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'Importance to develop institutions like IITs'

Citing the example of a project in Nagpur that converts sewage water, making it suitable for various purposes and has proved to be a highly profitable venture, he urged them to do research on alternative sources of energy.

Stating that the Centre was giving importance to develop institutions like IITs in the country, Gadkari said that Indian engineers, who are doing very well across the globe, would be able to promote innovation in India. He pointed out that Tamil Nadu has enormous human resources potential in technology and graduate engineers in the state could play a major role in research and innovation. 

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Earlier in the day, Gadkari and Puducherry Chief Minister Velu Narayanasamy reviewed the progress of National Highway projects in the state. He also met Puducherry Governor Kiran Bedi at Raj Nivas. 

Gadkari also paid homage at the memorials of Sri Aurobindo and his spiritual collaborator The Mother on the Ashram premises.  

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(With agency input)