NITI Aayog meet:TN urges Centre to declare Godavari-Cauvery river link plan a national project

Overallbudget to AYUSH at the Central level must necessarily beincreased, he said.Under the National Perspective Plan, a draft DetailedProject Report of GodavariCauvery link project was completedby National Water Development Agency and sent to party statesin 2019 and the project cost was an estimated Rs 60,361 croreat 2018-19 price levels.As per the draft, about 247 thousand millioncubic feet of water can be diverted from Godavari river toNagarjunsagar dam and then further south for meeting thedemands of Krishna, Pennar and Cauvery basins, according tothe government.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Saturday urged the Centre to declare the Godavari-Cauvery river link initiative as a national project and said if it was done, it would benefit people in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Speaking during the virtual meeting of the NITI Aayogbeing chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Palaniswaminoted that Tamil Nadu stood first in the country in coverage under micro-irrigation in 2019-20 and 2020-21, he underlines the drejuvenation of river Cauvery.

He requested Modi for the declaration ''so as to benefit lakhs of people in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.'' ''River Cauvery and its tributaries have to be rejuvenated on lines of 'Namami Gange'. Government of India is requested to accord sanction and extend financial assistance to Tamil Nadu, at the earliest,'' he said.

On health, the CM said the Siddha system of medicine is a proud contribution of Tamil ancestors to the world.

''The international institute of yoga and naturopathy medical sciences is being established in Tamil Nadu. Overall budget to AYUSH at the Central level must necessarily be increased,'' he said.

Under the National Perspective Plan, a draft DetailedProject Report of the GodavariCauvery link project was completed by the National Water Development Agency and sent to party states in 2019 and the project cost was an estimated Rs 60,361 crore 2018-19 price levels.

As per the draft, about 247 thousand million cubic feet of water can be diverted from the Godavari river toNagarjunsagar dam and then further south for meeting the demands of Krishna, Pennar, and Cauvery basins, according to the government.