Guj Govt to inaugurate SAUNI project on Aug 30, Modi invited

Ahmedabad, Aug 18 (PTI) Gujarat government will launchthe ‘Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI) Yojana’ onAugust 30, for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has beeninvited, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said today. The scheme is aimed at filling up irrigation dams ofSaurashtra region with surplus Narmada river water. "Out of 115 dams to be covered under the SAUNI project,10 of them will be filled up ahead of the inauguration, whichwill be held on the border of Rajkot and Morbi district onAugust 30," Rupani told reporters in Gandhinagar. "With an aim to provide sufficient irrigation water tofarmers of Saurashtra region, Modi as Gujarat Chief Ministerhad launched this ambitious project in 2012 by laying thefoundation stone. Now, his dream is getting realised, as we(the Gujarat government) will now inaugurate the project,"Rupani said. "We have invited Modi for the programme and have alreadysent our invitation. Our preparations for the programme hasalso started as we have received indications that Modi isplanning to attend the event on August 30. We have learnedthat his schedule will be finalised within couple of days,"Rupani added. The total cost of the project is Rs 12,000 crore. As per the Chief Minister, upon completion of theentire project, farmers of Saurashtra region will be ableto grow three crops per year. "At present, we are filling up 10 dams, includingAaji-3 and Macchu. When all the 115 dams will be filled up innear future, it will benefit farmers of 5,000 villages ofSaurashtra region, as they will be able to take three crops ina year. This project is capable of providing water to lakhs ofhectares of agriculture land," Rupani claimed. PTI PJT NRBRGJMF