Govt to take up 74 major irrigation projects in AP

Hyderabad, Feb 19 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy today said 1.22 crore acre of land would be brought under irrigation by taking up 74 major irrigation projects at a cost of over Rs one lakh crore.

The Congress would return to power to complete these projects in the next three years, Dr Reddy claimed, while replying to the motion of thanks for the Governor's address.

There was no need for Mr Naidu ''to go to jail or sacrifice life.'' Taking a cue from China, which had a one-point programme of constructing major irrigation projects in the 1980s, the Congress Government would complete all the irrigation projects, overcoming the hurdles.

The Chief Minister further alleged that Mr Naidu had undertaken 'eruvakka'(land tilling programme) to woo farmers with an eye on the next elections. ''Leave the farmers to the State Government, which is working for them from the day it assumed office,'' Dr Reddy said.

Countering the opposition charge that ''Jalayaganm'' was nothing but ''dhanayagnam'' (an avenue to mint money) of the ruling Congress, he said, ''it is a dhanayaganam for the farmers.'' He informed the House that 12 of the 27 projects had already been completed and an equal number of projects would be completed by March 2009, and the remaining 35 projects to be completed within three years.

UNI SM VA SJ PY RN1927