NEW DELHI / VIJAYAWADA, October 10 — The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by the Prime Minister, on Friday approved a revised capital outlay of ₹12,157 crore to finance the time-bound completion of Phase-1 of the Polavaram Multi-Purpose National Irrigation Project in Andhra Pradesh.
According to the official communication issued by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the sanctioned expenditure envelope explicitly covers the construction of a reinforced parallel plastic concrete diaphragm wall, remedial works on the main Earth-Cum-Rock-Fill (ECRF) Dam, gap filling on cofferdams, and comprehensive Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) packages for project-displaced families up to the 41.15-metre reservoir contour. Funds will be routed through the statutory Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) to ensure unhindered civil contractor mobilization.
State irrigation engineers noted that securing the 41.15-metre impoundment benchmark will unlock early gravity irrigation across the Right Main Canal (transferring surplus Godavari flows into the Krishna delta at Prakasam Barrage) and the Left Main Canal catering to industrial and municipal needs in Visakhapatnam.
The statutory architecture of Section 90 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014 (which designated Polavaram as a National Project executed by the Union Government), Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT 1980) allocations, inter-basin water transfer engineering, and Article 262 of the Indian Constitution are indispensable core subjects across APPSC Group-I, Group-II, and water resources examinations.