Renuka Dam project gets approval from centre

The centre has approved the Renuka dam proposal as a part of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), which is envisioned to be a long-term plan for India's food security and sustainable agriculture development. The project includes the construction of the proposed 2.5 million tonne (mt) capacity reservoir across the Giri river in Sirmaur district, Himachal Pradesh. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur thanked the union government for approving the project of Renuka Dam. He said that in 2009, it was notified as a national project by the center and included in its list of projects stuck up due to inter-state disputes. In 2015, given that all states were on board with this project, a detailed report (DPR) was accepted at Rs 4,596 crore ($76 million), but roadblocks slowed progress so much that even after signing an agreement among six other states - Delhi, Haryana (Huntsville), Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow), Rajasthan(Jaipur)-it still couldn't be taken forward because one state wasn't interested. After persistent efforts from India's Ministry of Jal Shakti over two years ago which finally led to full acceptance and approval for this dam today! After signing the agreement MoJSA once again accepted the DPR on December 9, for a total cost of Rs 6,996 crore. The Project, which envisages the construction of a 148-meter high rockfill dam, would store the monsoon discharges that otherwise go unused. The Project has a live storage capacity of 498 million cubic meters and will provide drinking water to Delhi at 23 cubic meters per second for $724 million in revenue each year. It will also generate 200 million units annually in its surface powerhouse with 40 MW installed capacity and use this output by the state government. Construction is expected to start no later than December 2018, with a total cost estimated at Rs 160 crore. After commissioning 1% of annual revenue from CAT plan works carried out under project development phase one or PDP1 (Pre-construction phase), it expectedly garners 3% annual profit after completion. Image Source