Ken Betwa river link project to irrigate 2.51L ha across 4 U.P. dists

The Ken Betwa link project (KBLP) is poised to bring significant benefits to the Bundelkhand region by irrigating 2.51 lakh hectares of agricultural land across the districts of Jhansi, Mahoba, Banda, and Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh. The project will also provide drinking water to 21 lakh people in these districts, a government spokesperson said.

The KBLP aims to transfer water from the Ken River in Madhya Pradesh to the Betwa River in U.P., both tributaries of the Yamuna.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the ₹44,605 crore project on December 25, 2024, marking the 100th birth anniversary of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The project’s funding will be shared, with 90% from the central government and 10% from the U.P. and MP governments.

Though the formal foundation stone ceremony was held on December 25, the U.P. government had already initiated preliminary work to expedite the project’s benefits for Bundelkhand residents.

A dedicated office for the KBLP has been opened in Banda, and a topographical survey has been completed across the four districts—Jhansi, Mahoba, Banda, and Lalitpur—paving the way for the detailed project report (DPR), which is expected to be completed early next year.

The tender process for constructing a 24-kilometre canal in U.P. will begin shortly. Identified gram panchayats, where approximately 245 hectares of land will be acquired, are also being prepared.