BJP latches on to Narmada lifeline for 2017 election

GANDHINAGAR: The BJP government in Gujarat is all set to kick off the state-wide Narmada Yatra on Wednesday, which will cover 24 districts and 10,000 villages.
The Narmada project-considered to be the lifeline of Gujarat -is pegged to be the biggest poll plank of the BJP in the state.
The party is hoping to politically cash in on the fact that the dam's height was raised to 138 metres under the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The project is expected to solve the drinking water crisis in north Gujarat, Saurashtra, and Kutch. Due to flooding, the yatra's lure dampened somewhat, but the government machinery and the BJP cadre have been mobilized for the drive which will take place from September 6-15. And on his birthday, September 17, Modi will offer prayers at the Narmada dam site as the culmination of the grand celebrations of having brought Narmada waters to the state.
Modi will take part in the valedictory event and will address around 2 lakh people in Dabhoi in Vadodara district. The rationale of the yatra is to create awareness about the project and to involve people in the drive to conserve water.
A number of competitions -poetry, essay-writing, slogan-writing, and making one-minute films -on the benefits of the Narmada project will be organized during the yatra. All district collectors have been instructed to get custom-decorated trucks (called raths) display the Narmada dam achievement. During the event, benefits will be highlighted of such areas as high-tech farming, agri-industry entrepreneurship, and precision irrigation.
Besides the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL), thirteen government departments are involved in the yatra.
They include agriculture, education, health, family welfare, women and child welfare, Narmada and water resources, water supply, sports and youth affairs, rural development, and energy and petrochemicals.