Bengaluru, Jan 25 (NationPress) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expedite Central funding of Rs 5,300 crore for the state's Upper Bhadra Project without delay.

CM Siddaramaiah has sent a formal letter to PM Modi regarding this matter.

In his correspondence, the CM requested that PM Modi instruct the relevant officials in the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Jal Shakti to approve the Central assistance promptly under the PMKSY-AIBP scheme, with appropriate allocation in the upcoming Union Budget for 2025-26.

“The ongoing Upper Bhadra Project in central Karnataka aims to provide irrigation to an expanse of 2.25 lakh hectares using drip irrigation across the districts of Chikkamagaluru, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, and Davanagere. It will also supply water to replenish 367 minor irrigation tanks in these areas, utilizing 29.90 tmc of water for groundwater recharge. To date, the state government has invested Rs 10,121 crore into the project,” CM Siddaramaiah highlighted.

“In the Union Budget announcement for 2023-24, it was declared that an amount of Rs 5,300 crore would be allocated as Central assistance for the Upper Bhadra Project. However, the integration of this project into the National Project Scheme has been delayed, hindering its progress due to the lack of released Central assistance,” CM Siddaramaiah noted.

“To expedite the project’s advancement, it is crucial to release the Central assistance that was previously announced in the Union Budget for 2023-24,” the CM emphasized.

With farmers experiencing a significant water shortfall due to insufficient rainfall in central Karnataka, the completion of the Upper Bhadra Project is vital to safeguard the interests of farmers, he asserted.

Additionally, CM Siddaramaiah has also reached out with a letter to Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti V. Somanna.