CM Yediyurappa allocates Rs 500 crore for Mahadayi Water Project

In the fiscal budget of Karnataka State, the Chief Minister on Thursday allotted Rs 500 crore for the Mahadayi project to supply water to 4 drought-prone districts in the state's northwest region.  

Yediyurappa presented the fiscal budget in the State Assembly and said, "I am providing Rs 500 crore for civil works in the Kalasa and Bhanduri tributaries of Mahadayi to supply water to the people and farmlands in the 4 drought-prone districts of the state."

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The four drought-prone districts include Bagalkot, Belagavi, Dharwad, and Gadag which are situated in the Deccan region. The districts are 400 km-550 km northwest of Bengaluru.

Following the Supreme Court directive on February 20, the Centre notified the Mahadayi inter-state water tribunal award. 
The tribunal on August 14, 2018, allocated 13.42 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of the river water to Karnataka, Goa was allocated 24 tmcft and Maharashtra 1.3 tmcft. 

Mahadayi River:

Mahadayi is a 77km-long river which originates in the Western Ghats in the Belegavi district. It flows into neighboring Goa state through Maharashtra and then joins the Arabian Sea off the west coast. The river is also known as the Mandovi river. 

Though the river flows 29 km in Karnataka and 52 km in Goa, its catchment area is spread over 2,032 km in the southern state as against 1,580 km in the western state (Goa).

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Yediyurappa allocated Rs 1,500 crore for the Yettinahole project across the Nethravathi river as well. It aimed to supply drinking water to seven districts in the State's southern region which is facing scarcity due to the depletion of groundwater for many years. 

He addressed lawmakers in Kannada, "The lift component works of the first state of the Yettinahole project will be completed soon to conduct trials during the southwest monsoon from June to September."

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Yediyurappa presented the budget for the seventh time in the State. 

Other Salient Features of Budget:

The budget proposed a 3 percent increase in VAT on Petrol and diesel prices in Karnataka. The increase would be applicable from April 1. For the first time, the State government has come up with a child budget in which seven new vala mandiras would be established in affiliation with the central government. 

Image Credits: PTI 

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