Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], May 11 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on Sunday that significant initiatives have been undertaken in the area of water conservation since the formation of his government.

Speaking on the Jal Ganga Samvardhan Abhiyan, CM Yadav said, 'Since our government was formed, we have worked extensively on water bodies.'

He further stated that the efforts made by the state have received national-level recognition.

'Our Jal Shakti Minister, CR Paatil, tells the whole world that Madhya Pradesh's work in the field of water conservation and drinking water is unique and unprecedented,' he added.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the governments of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra for the implementation of the 'Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project'

The MoU was signed and exchanged in the presence of Chief Ministers of both the states, MP CM Mohan Yadav and Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis in the state capital Bhopal.

Addressing the occasion, CM Yadav said, 'Today a new chapter will begin with the state of Maharashtra. I would like to thank him (Maharashtra CM)... The Prime Minister has adopted a new approach for the schemes under which two states have been connected through river projects and it has a role in the national interest. Ninety percent of the amount for this scheme will be paid by the government of India. I thank PM Modi for this.'

According to an official release, the Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project will provide permanent irrigation facilities to 1,23,082 hectares in Madhya Pradesh and 2,34,706 hectares in Maharashtra. In Madhya Pradesh, the project will benefit four tehsils--Burhanpur, Nepanagar, Khaknar, and Khalwa--across the Burhanpur and Khandwa districts.

Initially, a traditional reservoir project of 66 TMC capacity was proposed, which would have affected over 17,000 hectares of land, including forest areas and tiger reserves, and displaced around 14,000 people across 73 villages.

This earlier model has now been replaced with a groundwater recharge-based approach, avoiding displacement and environmental impact. (ANI)