The government today said private participation would be sought to fund the interlinking of rivers project announced recently.
"In a project with an expected cost of hundreds of crores, private participation could be sought and some charges might be levied on direct beneficiaries too," chairman of the task force on interlinking of major rivers, Suresh Prabhu, said at a round table on "networking of Indian rivers" organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry here.
Prabhu also did not rule out participation of international funding agencies while emphasising there would not be a single-handed dependence on grants and aids. The project is expected to irrigate an additional 150 million hectares besides generating 35,000 Mw of electricity.
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He said the project would help solve poverty and unemployment problems and should, therefore, be looked upon as an opportunity to transform India into a developed nation.
Elaborating on the progress so far, Prabhu said, "Latest technology, including geographical information system (GIS) and satellite imagery, will be used to prepare feasibility reports.
Special resources would be earmarked for the cost of displacement of people, if necessary, within the project cost before implementation, he said, adding that sociologists and non-governmental organisations were welcome to send their suggestions.