Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday, 17 July directed the state's Water Resources Department to accelerate all ongoing irrigation projects and complete them on schedule, underlining that the government is committing substantial budgetary resources to the sector. The directives came during a high-level review meeting in Mumbai.

Key Projects Under Review

Chief Minister Fadnavis reviewed several large-scale water infrastructure initiatives during the meeting, including the Nar-Par-Girna River Linking Project, Damanganga-Ekdare-Godavari, Damanganga-Vaitarna-Godavari, and the Konkan Ulhas-Vaitarna and Godavari Valley River Linking Projects.

'Several initiatives like the river-linking projects, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), and the Baliraja Jal Sanjeevani Yojana are underway across the state. These projects will bring a monumental shift to Maharashtra's irrigation framework,' Fadnavis said, while strictly instructing the department to maintain absolute transparency in execution.

Wainganga-Nalganga: The Flagship Diversion

The ambitious Wainganga-Nalganga river-linking project proposes to divert 63.74 TMC of water from the Wainganga sub-basin in the Godavari valley to the water-scarce Nalganga sub-basin in Buldhana district. The project carries an irrigation potential of 6,11,150 hectares and is designed to benefit eight districts — Bhandara, Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Yavatmal, Akola, Buldhana, and Washim — spanning the chronically drought-stressed Vidarbha region.

PMKSY Progress in Maharashtra

Fadnavis reviewed the status of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana in the state, noting that 20 projects have been completed while seven remain under progress. As of March 2026, the scheme has achieved an irrigation potential of 4.30 lakh hectares — 74 per cent of the ultimate target of 5.79 lakh hectares.

The PMKSY's Maharashtra component encompasses 29 major and medium irrigation projects with a total project cost of ₹24,721 crore, of which central assistance accounts for ₹4,288 crore, or 17 per cent of the total outlay.

Baliraja Jal Sanjeevani: Addressing Farm Distress

To combat agricultural distress in Vidarbha, Marathwada, and other suicide-prone districts, the Central government launched the Baliraja Jal Sanjeevani Yojana as part of a special relief package. The scheme covers eight major and medium irrigation projects and 83 surface minor irrigation projects across the affected regions.

Progress updates and forward action plans under the state's 'Viksit Maharashtra' initiative were also presented by the Water Resources Department during the review. With elections behind him and a renewed mandate in hand, Fadnavis is expected to push for visible on-ground delivery on water security — a metric that directly shapes rural sentiment in Maharashtra's rain-shadow districts.