Strong policy reforms in water resources and mining sectors under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann

CM Bhagwant Mann: Terming the budget presented by the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann as forward-looking and focused on farmer welfare, Water Resources and Mining Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal said that the future roadmap presented in the budget will prove to be extremely important to further strengthen irrigation reforms and bring transparency and efficiency in the mining sector.

a historical landmark

Appreciating the focus in the Budget on strengthening water management infrastructure, the Cabinet Minister said the government has achieved a historic milestone by doubling the canal irrigation capacity within three years. He said that the area under canal irrigation which was 2.23 million acres in the year 2022, will increase to 5.3 million acres by April 2026.

Emphasis laid on strengthening irrigation infrastructure

Barinder Kumar Goyal said that the Punjab Government has proposed a budget provision of Rs 2971 crore for the year 2026-27 for the water resources sector, in which emphasis will be laid on expanding canal irrigation and strengthening of irrigation infrastructure to ensure last mile water access through paved waterways and pipelines. Through these initiatives, it is expected to restore canal irrigation facility to about five lakh hectares, taking the total area under canal irrigation to close to 70 lakh acres, which is about 90 percent of the earmarked canal irrigation area.

Repair and construction work of Malerkotla Minor

The Cabinet Minister said that the government has started the repair work of Mahorana Distributory and construction of Malerkotla Minor at a cost of Rs 288 crore to meet the long-standing demands of the farmers of Malerkotla region regarding irrigation. This project will provide canal water for the first time to 55 villages covering an area of ​​approximately 44,000 acres. He informed that Rs 190 crore has been kept for this initiative in the year 2026-27.

Water will be lifted from Bisht Doab Canal

The Cabinet Minister said that similarly, for the first time, Kathgarh Lift Scheme-2 has been announced in the budget to provide canal water to the semi-hilly and water-scarce area of ​​Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr) district, for which the government has made a provision of Rs 107 crore. Through this project, water will be lifted from the Bisht Doab Canal to provide irrigation facilities to approximately 5,500 acres of area in 24 villages. He further said that this initiative will reduce dependence on underground water and is expected to save electricity to a great extent.

Planned cleaning of water sources

Barinder Kumar Goyal said the planned cleaning, lining and modernization of canals and water sources has led to a significant increase in surface water use, which has now reached 6.6 million acre feet and an increase of 13 per cent over the last year. In a major success, canal water has reached 1365 places for the first time, benefiting the villages which were deprived of canal irrigation for about 20 to 50 years.

Expenditure of more than Rs 1500 crore

The Water Resources Minister said that the Punjab Government has also taken decisive steps to strengthen the flood protection infrastructure in the state, wherein 371 flood protection and improvement projects have been identified as part of the scientific assessment of major rivers after floods of 2025. He told that this will cost more than Rs 1500 crore. Of these works, 142 projects at a cost of Rs 489 crore are targeted to be completed by March 31, 2026, while the remaining works will be completed during 2026-27.

Cleaning of 3,000 kilometers of drains

Highlighting the ongoing drainage improvement measures, Barinder Kumar Goyal said that flood protection and drain desilting works worth Rs 65 crore have been taken up during the current year. Nearly 3,000 kilometers of drains have been cleaned in many districts, which has significantly improved the drainage capacity. He said that by implementing these works through departmental machinery, almost 60 percent of government funds have been saved.

Extensive program for restoration and lining

The Cabinet Minister informed that the Government has launched a comprehensive program for restoration and lining of canals during the current financial year, under which works are already underway at a cost of Rs 1153 crore with the aim of bringing four lakh hectare area under irrigation coverage.

Ensure better supply of water to tails

Giving information about the main infrastructure projects, he said that the project related to strengthening of Firozpur feeder is going on, under which the target is to increase the capacity of the canal system from 11245 cusecs to 13845 cusecs. He said that during the year 2025-26, the work of lining of 17 kilometer canal portion has been completed at a cost of Rs 195 crore, which will ensure better supply of water to the tails including Abohar and Fazilka, thereby enabling the state to utilize its entire share of canal water.

First place in Mining Readiness Index

Highlighting the reforms in the mining sector, the Cabinet Minister said that Punjab has secured the first position in the State Mining Readiness Index announced by the Ministry of Mines, Government of India, reflecting the success of the transparent governance and scientific mining practices of the State Government.

Digital Monitoring of Minor Mineral Value Chain

He said the Government has strengthened the regulatory framework through various legislative and policy reforms, enabling registration and regulation of crusher units and mineral dealers as well as ensuring digital monitoring of the minor mineral value chain from mining to consumption.

Permission for mining operations on the land

The Cabinet Minister further said that by amending the Punjab Mineral Mineral Rules, new categories like crusher mining sites and landowner mining sites have been created to facilitate transparent and time bound agreements and landowners have been allowed to carry out mining operations on their land following the rules.

Revenue more than doubled within a year

Barinder Kumar Goyal further said that strict enforcement measures, establishment of check posts in border areas and introduction of a modern auction process have significantly increased the revenue generation in the mining sector. As a result, the state’s revenue from mining has more than doubled within a year, from Rs 260 crore to Rs 500 crore.