Water Resources Minister Nimmala Rama Naidu on Friday said the State government was committed to providing permanent water security to 8.20 lakh acres through Lift Irrigation (LI) schemes. He alleged that nearly four lakh acres had gone dry as several LI schemes became defunct during the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government.
Mr. Rama Naidu said only 166 of the State’s 1,023 lift irrigation schemes were currently operational.
Inaugurating restoration works on the Vedadri-Kanchala Lift Irrigation Scheme in Jaggayyapeta constituency, estimated to cost ₹15 crore, the Minister said tenders worth nearly ₹4,500 crore were being invited for the repair and 10-year maintenance of lift irrigation schemes across the State, following directions from Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Alleging that the previous YSRCP government had neglected the irrigation sector, Mr. Rama Naidu said it had left behind debts of ₹18,000 crore during 2019-24. He also blamed the previous regime for the damage to the Polavaram diaphragm wall and the Annamayya project.
The Minister said the Vedadri-Kanchala scheme was among the lift irrigation projects that had become defunct during the YSRCP rule. Once restored, it would provide irrigation water to 17,366 acres in the Jaggayyapeta and Nandigama constituencies, he said.
Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath, MLAs Sriram Tatayya and Tangirala Sowmya, and Irrigation Adviser Venkateswara Rao were present.
Published – July 03, 2026 09:24 pm IST
