Rajasthan farmers, not Pakistan, will get Ravi water: Shekhawat

Union Jalshakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday visited the barrage project being built on the Ravi river in Pathankot district and said that the water under India's control will only be used in the country, while not even one drop of water will go to Pakistan.

Shekhawat also said that the farmers of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan will get their share of water from the barrage project.

The Union Minister also held a meeting with the administrative officials of the Ranjit Sagar Dam when he visited and inspected the site.

Speaking on the occasion, he said: "I have come today to inspect the work of the special barrage project. It is going ahead with speed. We hope to complete it by 2022. There will be no shortage of funds from the central government in the construction of the barrage."

Shekhawat also said that there is a plan to provide drinking water to more than 100 villages near the border areas by sending the water saved from the dam. The central government will fund 86 per cent of the project and that Jammu and Kashmir would also benefit significantly from this plan.

Moreover, the central government would also provide funds for the portion in Jammu and Kashmir, he said. The Punjab government will contribute 14 per cent of the barrage construction expenses, he added.

On the issue of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal, he said that the matter is in the Supreme Court. Whatever the apex court decides would have to be accepted by all, he added.IANS