3 years at Centre were best days of my life, says Uma Bharati

NEW DELHI: "These were the best years of my life," Union minister Uma Bharati said while expressing her satisfaction over the successful completion of projects during Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's first three years at the Centre.

"All the 99 projects under Prime Minister's Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) will be completed by the end of three years and about 70.6 lakh hectares of land will have irrigation facilities," Bharati said in an interview to All India Radio.

"The work on Ken-Betwa River Project is likely to start again after 10 years," she added.

Last month, the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) - an apex body of the environment ministry which takes a call on diversion of forests for any major development project - agreed in principle to give a green signal to this much-awaited project without insisting for reducing height of its proposed dam.

The project comprises of a 77-m tall and 2,031-m wide dam and a 221-km long canal to transfer surplus water from the Ken river to the Betwa basin. The concrete canal will pass through Jhansi, Banda and Mahoba districts of Uttar Pradesh and Chhatarpur, Panna and Tikamgarh districts of Madhya Pradesh. It will provide irrigation to an area of 6,35,661 hectares in the water-starved Bundelkhand region of both these states.

She also thanked

Finance Ministry

, NITI Aayog and the PMO for extending helping hand for the successful completions of Water Resources and River Development projects.

"From my early childhood I was interested in water. Getting Water Resources, River Development and

Ganga Rejuvenation

portfolio was like a fish getting water. I was so happy," she said while highlighting that she is the first woman Water Resources minister.

On Ganga cleaning issue, she said that the government is doing every bit to keep the holy river clean and appealed people should also understand that "we must keep our Ganga clean".