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Presenting the budget proposals for 2005-06, the Finance Minister, Shri P. Chidambaram has stated that a National Project for the repair, renovation and restoration of water bodies would be launched in the month of March 2005. The pilot project is planned for 16 districts in 9 States and would cover nearly 700 water bodies while 20,000 hectares of additional land would come under irrigation.
A Task Force that was constituted to recommend measures for flood management and erosion control has since submitted its report and a Plan outlay in 2005-06 to implement this report would be Rs. 180 crores. A sum of Rs. 52 crore have also been allocated for the Farakka Barrage Project, the Minister informed.
The Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) has been reviewed and to bring about an improvement in the pace of implementation, the outlay has been increased to Rs. 4,800 crore for the next year.
SB/MVVS/RKJ/NSR
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