Construction on Rs 119-crore lift irrigation project begins in home district of Chhattisgarh CM

Raipur, May 1 (PTI) Construction work began on Friday on a Rs 119-crore lift irrigation project, which will provide irrigation to more than 4,930 hectares of land across 13 villages in the home district of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai.
Sai inaugurated the construction of the pressurised lift irrigation system at his native village Bagia in Jashpur district, officials said.
The project, being implemented under the Centre's SAMRIDHI-M-CAD (Modernization of the Command Area Development and Water Management) scheme, will provide irrigation to 4,933 hectares of land across 13 villages -- Bagia, Uskuti, Rajoti, Sujibahar, Chongribahar, Bansbahar, Dokda, Sikaria, Patratoli, Gahiradohar, Bihabal, Nariyardand and Dhududand, they said.
Addressing a gathering on the occasion, the CM stressed the initiative is not merely an irrigation project but a strong symbol of the vision of "more crop per drop."
He expressed confidence that Jashpur district would emerge as a model for modern pressurised irrigation systems in the country, opening new avenues of prosperity for farmers.
Under the project, a modern underground pressurised pipeline network will replace the traditional canal system, helping prevent water wastage, improve efficiency and eliminate the need for land acquisition. Farmers, largely dependent on rainfall, will be able to access water for irrigation throughout the year, he said.
Sai maintained that the Bagia Samriddhi M-CAD project would not only modernise irrigation, but also steer agriculture towards a technology-driven, sustainable and profitable future, with the potential to establish Jashpur as a model agri-irrigation district at the national level.
The scheme is being implemented in the Bagia cluster of Kunkuri development block through the Bagia Barrage-cum-Pressurised Lift Irrigation Scheme on the Maini river.
Sai said the Bagia cluster is among 34 M-CAD projects approved across 23 states. An amount of Rs 95.89 crore has been sanctioned by the Centre, while the total project cost is estimated at around Rs 119 crore.
State Agriculture Minister Ramvichar Netam and Union Minister Tokhan Sahu, who hails from Chhattisgarh, were also present on the occasion.
State Nodal Officer for the scheme, Alok Agrawal, said the M-CAD programme was launched in April 2025 by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Bagia project is expected to be completed within six months, he said.
He said operation and maintenance will be handled by the contractor for the first five years, after which it will be taken over by a Water Users' Committee, which will also have women members.
The project will incorporate modern technologies such as solar-powered electricity, SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) and IoT (Internet of Things) to enable controlled and scientific water use. Data-driven management will determine the timing and quantity of water supply to different areas.
The scheme aims to enhance water-use efficiency, maximise utilisation of every drop, boost agricultural output and sustainably increase farmers' income, while helping them cope with climate-related risks through advanced agricultural practices, Agrawal added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)