Maharashtra's ₹95,000cr river-linking project gets going
Maharashtra's Wainganga-Nalganga River Linking Project, set to be India's biggest, has already jumped in cost from ₹87,342 crore to nearly ₹95,000 crore, and construction hasn't begun yet.
Approved in August 2024, the plan is to move water from eastern Vidarbha to the much drier western side, hoping to bring irrigation relief to more than 1 million acres of farmland.
Project to take a decade
The state signed off on the revised administrative approval on March 9, 2026.
The project will spread across eight districts (think Nagpur and Amravati), aiming to supply water for both farms and factories over a decade.
Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan is pushing for "national project" status, which would mean Delhi picks up most of the tab (about 60%), easing pressure on Maharashtra.
If it works out, this could be a game-changer for drought-prone western Vidarbha farmers.