BHOPAL: As many as 126 villages of western Madhya Pradesh’s tribal-dominated Dhar and Alirajpur districts were ushered with a memorable gift of River Narmada’s water on Jan Jatiya Gaurav Diwas (Tribal Pride Day) on Sunday.
Governor Mangubhai C Patel joined Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav at the state-level program of Jan Jaitiya Gaurav Diwas in Dhar district, in inaugurating the Rs 1400 crore Dahi Micro Lift Irrigation Project, which promises to take River Narmada’s water for irrigation to 126 villages of Dhar and Alirajpur districts.
Built by the Narmada Valley Development Authority, the project is meant to supply irrigation water to 126 villages across the two districts, including 84 in Dhar and 42 in Alirajpur district. Both these districts neighbour Gujarat.
It is expected to benefit over One lakh farmers and irrigate around 47,000 hectares of farmland. The CM called it a major gift for the region and said it would strengthen agriculture and benefit lakhs of farmers.
The project’s journey reportedly has spanned governments. It was first approved in May 2019 under the Kamal Nath-led Congress government at an estimated Rs 1,127.82 crore. Construction was reported complete on June 30, 2026, and the system had been undergoing testing before Sunday’s formal launch. The cost has since risen to Rs 1,353 crore.
The inauguration was the centrepiece of the state’s tribal pride celebrations, which also included the laying of foundation stones and inauguration of various development works. For farmers who have long depended on erratic rainfall, the real test will be how quickly and reliably water reaches their fields.
The MP Governor and CM also presented development projects worth over Rs 1,570 crore, comprising 115 works, as a major gift to the people of Dhar district at the same state-level event held at Dahi in Dhar district. These included the inauguration of eight projects worth Rs 1,402 crore and Bhoomi Poojan of 107 works worth Rs 168.56 crore.
The inauguration of the key irrigation project on Sunday, happened less than a month after the MP CM had inaugurated the Rs 2,500 croreNarmada-Mahi Link Micro-Lift Irrigation Project in Sardarpur area of Dhar district on October 24.
Officially titled the Narmada-Jhabua-Petlawad-Thandla-Sardarpur Micro-Lift Irrigation Project, the pressurised pipeline network is designed to supply water for agriculture, drinking, and industrial use across western and south-western MP’s Malwa-Nimar tribal belt.
It reportedly delivers water to 57,422 hectares of farmland across 275 villages in Dhar and Jhabua districts.
Importantly, houses the maximum number of tribals in the country. The scheduled tribe population constitutes around 22% of the state’s population and their vote is decisive not just on the 47 tribal reserved assembly seats, but also plays a definitive role on 40 unreserved Vidhan Sabha seats.