Amit Shah reviews progress of pond interlinking project in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar

The review meeting, held by the Irrigation Department in Gandhinagar on Friday, focused on the coordinated efforts underway to link ponds for improved water management in the region.

Officials informed that 1,349 ponds across 162 villages in the two districts are being connected under the project. The work is being undertaken jointly by multiple government agencies, including the Irrigation Department, AUDA, GUDA, GMC, and the Narmada Corporation.

During the meeting, Shah instructed officials to resolve all obstacles to pond coverage and to ensure that the deepening work is completed before the monsoon, enabling smoother flow and storage of water once the rains begin.

Shah emphasised the importance of completing the project on time, highlighting its long-term benefits for water conservation and rural development.

Earlier, the Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated the two-day "Earth Summit 2025-26" at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, as per an official release by the Chief Minister's office.

The summit is jointly organised by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). On this occasion, the Union Cooperation Minister and the Chief Minister also visited various stalls at the event.

On this occasion, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that a series of three "Earth Summits" has been organised to position the rural economy as the largest contributor to the nation's GDP.

Union Minister Shah emphasised that the cooperative sector cannot advance without technology; however, developing software and managing data storage costs is not feasible for small cooperative societies.

To overcome this challenge, NABARD has introduced over 13 digital services as portals under the 'Sahakar Sarathi' initiative, including Sahakar Sarathi, Sahakar Setu, Sangrah Sarathi, and others.(ANI)