Brushing aside apprehension of any slow down in the task of interlinking rivers, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said detailed project reports of several river-links were being prepared.
Intervening during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, he said many aspects to the project, including environmental implications, were also being studied before the government proceeded on it.
"Before coming to this House, I was witness to the signing of a feasibilty report. The first DPR is being prepared. A number of other DPRs are in the pipeline. So, work is going on," he said.
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The prime minister was referring to the historic signing of an Memorandum of Understanding by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh for linking the Ken and Betwa rivers to enhance irrigation and water supply in the 2 states.
The tripartite agreement between the two governments and the Centre was signed in the presence of the prime minister.
Earlier, replying to the main question, Minister of State for Planning M V Rajasekharan said the Mid Term Appraisal of the 10th Five Year Plan had suggested taking up some of the large projects as national projects with cent per cent central funding.