Ahmedabad, March 15 Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for development projects, mainly irrigation schemes, worth Rs 1,100 crore in the tribal-dominated districts of Panchmahal and Dahod on Sunday.
According to an official release, Patel launched 112 projects worth Rs 732 crore in Panchmahal and more than 1,200 works worth Rs 367 crore in Dahod district.
The chief minister inaugurated the lift irrigation pipeline project worth around Rs 406 crore to supply water from the Panam reservoir to 130 ponds in 79 villages of Shehra, Godhra, Kalol and Ghoghamba talukas in Panchmahal.
The project will bring approximately 86,000 hectares of land under irrigation, the release stated.
"Water will be lifted from the Panam reservoir from a height of 236 feet and distributed through a 205 km-long pipeline," it said.
Patel noted that 2,23,000 acres of land in the state's tribal belt have been provided with irrigation facilities through 11 schemes worth Rs 3,160 crore so far.
He said that the state government has earmarked Rs 485 crore for lift irrigation in tribal areas in this year's state budget of Rs 4 lakh crore.
Additionally, provisions have been made to supply water to 51,480 hectares of farmland in Chhota Udepur, Dahod, and Panchmahal districts through Narmada-based lift irrigation projects.