The Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Social Justice & Empowerment, Rattan Lal Kataria chaired the 17th Meeting of the Special Committee for Inter-Linking of Rivers (ILR) here today. The Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Shri U.P. Singh, Director General, National Water Development Agency (NWDA), Shri Bhopal Singh,senior officers from Central and State Governments and experts attended the deliberations. Addressing the meeting, Shri Kataria said the Inter-Linking of Rivers is a dream project of former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He said the ambitious project comprises 16 rivers of Himalayan origin and 14 in peninsular region. Shri Kataria said the Detailed Project Report (DPR) in respect of Ken-Betwa Inter-State Link Project involving Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh has been completed and hoped work on the project will begin soon. Besides, the DPRs for four projects is in progress, he added.In his address, Secretary, Department of Water Resource, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (WR, RD & GR), Shri U.P. Singh, underlined the need for expediting the various ILR projects, specially those within a State.The meeting reviewed the status of the various ILR projects, namely Ken-Betwa Link Project, Cauvery (Kattalai)-Vaigai-Gundar link (IBWT), Bedti-Varda link (IBWT), Damanganga (Ekdare)-Godavari link (Intra-State), Damanganga-Vaitarna-Godavari link (Intra-State), Damanganga-Pinjal and Par-Tapi-Narmada Link Projects, Alternative proposal of Diversion of Godavari waters upto Cauvery basin, Manas-Sankosh-Teesta-Ganga (MSTG) link and Integration of Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project with Parbati- Kalisindh-Chambal link. Status of the 47 Intra-State link proposals from nine States, besides restructuring of the National Water Development Agency, Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers and the National Interlinking of Rivers Authority (NIRA) were also discussed.The meeting also confirmed the minutes of the 16thMeeting of the Special Committee for Interlinking ofRivers (SCILR) chaired by the Union Minister of JalShakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat,held in New Delhi on August 21, 2019.