Andhra govt unveils action plan for 26 irrigation projects

In tune with its pro-farmer image, the new Congress government in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday unveiled an action plan to complete 26 key irrigation projects over the next five years to provide irrigation facility to an additional 41 lakh acres in the state.

As part of efforts to mobilise resources for the projects, estimated to cost about Rs 26,000 crore, the government has initiated preliminary talks with various financial institutions, state Major Irrigation minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah informed the Legislative Assembly.

"We are confident of firming up financial tie-ups for the projects as the response from financial institutions has been encouraging," he said.

Blaming the previous Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government for neglecting the irrigation sector, Lakshmaiah said that the new government would accord top priority for the completion of the pending projects in a time-bound manner.

"The government's optimism stemmed from encouraging trends in the financial markets and competitive interest rates. The financial institutions have assured us of an annual lending between Rs 4,000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore," he said.

Among the projects shortlisted for time-bound completion, eight projects, including the Telugu Ganga, Vamsadhara second phase and Somasila, would be completed in the next two years while the rest would be completed within the next five years.