Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, 2023, announced a grant of ₹5300 crore for the Upper Bhadra Irrigation Project in the poll-bound Karnataka.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in April 2022 had said that steps had already been taken to declare the Upper Bhadra project as a national project. Once declared as a national project, ₹16,000 crore would be made available for the project, he had said.
The Upper Bhadra Project will ensure irrigation of around 2.25 lakh hectares in Chikkamagaluru, Chitradurga, Davangere, and Tumakuru districts with around 19 tmcft of water. The project also envisages filling up more than 350 tanks using 10.8 tmcft of water, along with augmenting the capacity of Vani Vilas reservoir.
Presenting her fifth Union Budget, for the year 2023-24, she said that the Budget proposals for this financial year rest on inclusive development, reaching the last mile, infrastructure and investment, unleashing the potential, green growth, youth power, and financial sector.
