Cabinet approves deadline extension of Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the revised cost estimate of the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP), along with a two-year time extension from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2020, for the completion of the project.

The revised cost of the project is Rs 3466 crore, out of which Rs.2,628 crore will be pumped in by the World Bank, Rs.747 crore by the DRIP States / Implementing Agencies (IAs) and Rs.91 crore by the Central Water Commission (CWC).

The project envisions institutional strengthening and project management, including capacity building of staff and officials to ensure operational safety. Furthermore, the project aims at comprehensive rehabilitation of 198 existing dam projects located in seven states of India namely, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jharkhand (Damodar Valley Corporation) and Uttarakhand (Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited).

It also aims at ensuring the safety of downstream population and property that are affected in the case of a dam failure or operational failure.

The new closure date for the project has been jointly decided by the Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and the World Bank.