Jal Shakti Review: Ken-Betwa and Farakka Work Assessed

Union Minister for Jal Shakti Shri C. R. Patil chaired a review meeting on 27 October 2026 with the heads of department of the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. Shri Raj Bhushan Choudhary, Minister of State for Jal Shakti, was present. The meeting looked at the progress of the projects, programmes and schemes run by the department and by its wings and organisations.

Who presented

Presentations came from a long list of bodies within the water resources set-up. These included the Flood Management Wing, the National Water Mission and the National Water Development Agency; the Farakka Barrage Project; the authority for the Ken-Betwa Link Project; the programme for Modernisation of Command Area Development and Water Management, known as M-CADWM; the two Basin Management divisions; the Brahmaputra Board along with the wing handling Brahmaputra and Barak river matters; the Minor Irrigation Statistics programme; and the National Institute of Hydrology.

What was discussed

• progress of works under the Flood Management and Border Areas Programme;
• major works at the Farakka Barrage Project, including replacement of barrage gates and anti-erosion measures, and the difficulties in carrying them out;
• priority activities of the National Water Mission;
• the state of implementation of 35 pilot clusters under M-CADWM;
• the Ken-Betwa Link Project, covering the link canal and the Daudhan Dam;
• the master plans and detailed project reports being prepared by the Brahmaputra Board; and
• four censuses now under way in the Minor Irrigation Statistics programme, along with the targets of the National Institute of Hydrology.

Directions issued

The Minister recorded decisions and issued directions meant to speed up implementation and to improve coordination with the states so that projects finish on time. He asked that the bottlenecks holding up progress be identified and cleared quickly. Senior officers and the heads of the wings and organisations were told to follow up on the decisions taken at the review and to keep close watch on implementation, with the outcomes to be achieved within the timelines already set.

For the exam

Two projects named in this review are standing favourites in question papers. The Ken-Betwa Link Project is built around the Daudhan Dam and a link canal, and its progress is watched by a dedicated project authority. The Farakka Barrage, on the Ganga in West Bengal, is maintained by a dedicated project authority of the same department, and the work discussed here concerned its gates and anti-erosion measures.