What’s in the news?

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval to a proposal of Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti to complete the balance works of North Koel Reservoir Project.17.
• On completion of the balance works, the project would provide additional annual irrigation to 42,301 ha in the four drought prone districts of Jharkhand and Bihar.
• North Koel Reservoir Project is an inter-State major irrigation project with command area lying in the two States of Bihar and Jharkhand. 
• The Construction of dam and ancillary activities started in the year 1972 by Govt. of Bihar from its own resources. The work continued till 1993 and was stopped in that year by the Forest Department, Govt. of Bihar. 
• Due to apprehension that water accumulated in the dam would threaten the Betla National Park and Palamu Tiger Reserve, the work on dam was at a standstill. 
• In the year 2016, the Govt. of India decided to provide assistance for completion of balance works of the North Koel Reservoir Project in order to operationalise the project to realise the envisaged benefits. 

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1964097