Jaipur: Rajasthan government will initiate measures to ensure that the water of river Ghaghar which flows into Bhawalnagar in Pakistan can be used for irrigation within the state. The water of river Ghaghar flows from Punjab to Rajasthan and into lake Talwara in Anupagrh in the border district of Hanumangarh. The water flowing from the Ghaghar river floods the border areas and this creates serious problems for the Border Security Force in guarding the frontiers. The flooding of the border is so heavy during the monsoon that patrolling in the Anupagarh sector is often done using boats. The lake water eventually finds its way through two canals and gets mixed in a river called Hakra in Pakistan. Apart from the Ghaghar river water, the huge amount of water of the main Indira Gandhi canal also flows into Pakistan as the state is unable to use this water for irrigation.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who also holds the finance portfolio, said in his budget speech that the state government would now stop the water from going towards Pakistan and use it for irrigation within the state. This would help achieve higher agricultural production in the Hanumangarh district. Gehlot presented the state budget of Rs 2,32,944 crore. The budget proposals had no new taxes. Gehlot announced that the new refinery at Pachpadra in Barmer district which would be set up in partnership with the Hindustan Petroleum will be ready by 2022. He said the refinery would help refine the oil found in the Thar desert within the state and it would also help in setting up a petro-complex zone in the state that would utilise the byproducts of the refinery for industrail purpose. The state government would set up an integrated complex for this. The state government would also initiate a mega Rs 37,000 crore eastern canal project utilising the Chambal river water and also the proposed share of the state from the Yamuna river.
