Thursday, 02 January, 2025 
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Thursday, 02 January, 2025 
Ujiyare mein, andhkaar mein,
Kal-kachhar mein, Beech Dhaar mein,
Kshanik Jeet mein Deergh Haar mein.
Jeevan ke Shat-Shat Aakarshak,
Armaano ko Dhalna Hoga,
Kadam Milaakar Chalna Hoga.
Today marks the 100th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna and former Prime Minister Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji, who proclaimed ‘Kadam Milakar Chalana Hoga’. Heartfelt tributes to the visionary of India's development, the revered Shri Atal Ji.
The revered Atal Ji, from being an RSS volunteer to the editor of Rashtradharma, and from his responsibilities in the Jansangh to the Bharatiya Janata Party, nurtured generations of dedicated workers. His vision of individual development, societal progress, and nation-building provided a strong foundation for the country.
To make the earth fertile and prosperous, and to establish new dimensions of development, the revered Atal Ji envisioned the River Linking Project nearly 20 years ago. He dreamed of connecting the rivers across the country to manage the scattered water resources efficiently. His vision was to interlink the rivers of the nation so that every drop of water could be utilized for the welfare of society and the nation. On his 100th birth anniversary, a significant step is being taken in Madhya Pradesh with the Ken-Betwa project, the world's first river-linking initiative, to provide a sustainable solution for water security.
I am delighted to share that today, our esteemed Prime Minister and the modern-day Bhagirath, Shri Narendra Modi Ji, will lay the foundation stone of the nation's first and ambitious Ken-Betwa River Linking National Project in Khajuraho. With this, the revered Atal Ji's vision of interlinking rivers and achieving prosperity will take a concrete shape.
Madhya Pradesh, the cradle of rivers, is blessed with abundant water resources from hundreds of rivers. With the blessings of these rivers, this multipurpose project will become the lifeline of Bundelkhand.
This project is being developed on the Ken River in Chhatarpur and Panna districts of Madhya Pradesh. It includes the construction of the Daudhan Dam on the Ken River within the Panna Tiger Reserve, with a height of 77 meters and a length of 2.13 kilometers, along with two tunnels. The dam will store 2,853 million cubic meters of water.
Through a pressurized micro-irrigation system, the project will enable irrigation across 8.11 lakh hectares of land in approximately 2,000 villages of 10 districts in Madhya Pradesh, including Panna, Damoh, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Niwari, Sagar, Raisen, Vidisha, Shivpuri, and Datia. Nearly 7 lakh farming families will benefit from this initiative.
Additionally, it will provide drinking water to a population of 44 lakh in Madhya Pradesh and 21 lakh in Uttar Pradesh. The project will also generate 103 MW of hydroelectric power and 27 MW of solar energy, benefiting the entire state of Madhya Pradesh.
The Ken-Betwa River Linking National Project will ensure that water reaches every field in Bundelkhand for irrigation. The state will have an abundant supply of water for electricity, agriculture, industry, and drinking needs. With water reaching the fields, crops will flourish, bringing prosperity to farmers' lives and transforming the future of Bundelkhand.
This project will boost agriculture, industry, business, and tourism, halting migration and improving the lives of citizens. The abundance of water will address both flood and drought issues.
Our commitment is to development along with heritage. Moving forward with this goal, the project will also work on preserving 42 historic Chandel period ponds. These ponds will fill with water during the monsoon, raising the groundwater level and benefiting the people.
Madhya Pradesh is an agriculture-based state. Our goal is to increase the area under irrigation from 5 million hectares to 10 million hectares. I am confident that the Ken-Betwa River Linking National Project will help us achieve this target, and it will open new doors for the progress of Bundelkhand. With this confidence, I had urged the farmers of Bundelkhand not to sell their land, as the solution to the region's drought would come. I am happy that my belief has proven to be correct.
It is a matter of great joy for us that Madhya Pradesh is currently celebrating ‘Jan-Kalyan Parv. On the 100th birth anniversary of Atal Ji, the signing of the tripartite agreement for the Ken-Betwa River Linking National Project is a remarkable coincidence, bringing a great gift to the people of the state. I am pleased to inform you that a few days ago, our esteemed Prime Minister Ji also inaugurated the Parvati-Kalisindh-Chambal River Linking Project.
This project will involve the construction of 21 dams and barrages. It will benefit 3,217 villages in the state. The project will enable irrigation across 6,13,520 hectares in the Malwa and Chambal regions and provide drinking water to a population of 40 million.
The simultaneous foundation stone laying of two river linking projects in the state is a historic occasion. It is a matter of great pride for us that Bundelkhand, which has been a symbol of valor, courage, heroism, and sacrifice in history, will now be known as a land of development through the river projects.
I am pleased to inform you that today marks the realization of efforts made in the state towards energy self-sufficiency and green energy. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Omkareshwar Floating Solar Project on the holy Narmada River. In the first phase of this project, electricity generation at full capacity has commenced in October this year.
Democracy begins with the first unit, the Gram Panchayat. Atal Ji had launched a campaign to make villages well-governed and empowered. Prime Minister Shri Modi has pledged to fulfill Atal Ji's dream by making villages self-reliant, clean, prosperous, and well-governed. To ensure that each Gram Panchayat has its own building, the Prime Minister will perform the ground-breaking ceremony for 1,153 Atal Gram Governance Buildings in Madhya Pradesh today.
On the 100th birth anniversary of the revered Atal Ji, the historic projects and initiatives that are starting today will open new doors for progress. Bundelkhand will become rich in water resources, and farmers will thrive. This will bring prosperity to the entire region, and the youth will no longer have to migrate in search of employment.
Fortunately, all of this has been made possible under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the double-engine government. Our government has introduced the innovative concept of the Regional Industry Conclave, which aims to bring industries to smaller cities. This effort will continue to grow. Madhya Pradesh will create a new history of progress and development and will shape itself as a leading state.
The visionary of the nation, the revered Atal Ji, with his far-sighted leadership, not only took the country to unprecedented heights but also paved the way for nation-building through the concept of river linking projects for the future. Following his path, Madhya Pradesh will write a new chapter of prosperity, development, construction, and happiness.
The esteemed Prime Minister of the country, Shri Narendra Modi, is coming to Khajuraho to fulfill the vision of the revered Atal Ji. I urge the people of the state to participate in this ritual for the green and prosperous earth and become witnesses to this historic moment.
On the 100th year of the birth of the revered Atal Ji, the initiative to implement two river-linking projects for the first time in the country, in Madhya Pradesh, is a heartfelt tribute from the entire nation to the former Prime Minister, the revered Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ji.