UP, MP sign Ken-Betwa river link pact Times of India, New Delhi, March 23, 2021 India’s first river interlinking project, connecting the Ken and Betwa rivers in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, is finally set to be implemented. After resolving their differences over sharing of water, the chief ministers of the two states, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Yogi Adityanath, on Monday signed a tripartite agreement with the Centre in the virtual presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The revised deal will allow MP get additional water from the project, which will be implemented at an estimated cost of more than Rs 37,600 crore. The dispute between the states could be settled after UP agreed to drop its demand for a higher share. Even MP has had to compromise. The Centre did not agree to its demand to allow it to use the entire quantum of surplus water at the Daudhan dam site in the upper catchment area. The dam is one of the key components of the project. Though forest clearance for the Daudhan reservoir is awaited, the Centre will create a special purpose vehicle, the Ken-Betwa Link Project Authority, for implementation of the project in eight years and will bear 90% of the total cost. Speaking on the occasion, the PM said the agreement was important to realise former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s dream in the interest of millions of families in UP and MP. Noting that the project would benefit the entire Budelkhand region, he said rapid development was not possible without water security and management. He added that the vision of India’s development and self-reliance is dependent on water resources and connectivity. .