The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) yesterday announced its election manifesto for 2014, where the party said it would complete all pending fencing work along the India-Bangladesh border.
On foreign policy, the BJP manifesto read: “In our neighbourhood we will pursue friendly relations. However, where required we will not hesitate from taking strong stand and steps.”
About regional forum, the BJP said: “We will work towards strengthening regional forums like Saarc and Asean.”
The manifesto also attached high priority to a controversial project of inter-linking of rivers based on feasibility.
The Indian water resources ministry, in a press release issued in 2012, said the National Water Development Agency had already identified 14 links under Himalayan component.
Out of the 14 links, survey and investigation in Indian portion had taken up for Manas-Sankosh-Tista-Ganga link and Jogighopa (at Brahmaputra)-Tista-Ganga at Farakka link.
Survey and investigation had already been completed for Ganga (Farakka)-Sunderbans link and Ganga-Damodar-Subernarekha link.
The Indian ministry formulated a National Perspective Plan for water resources development in 1980 envisaging inter-basin transfer of water from surplus basins to deficit basins/areas which comprises two components, namely, Himalayan Rivers Development Component and Peninsular Rivers Development Component.
The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) was set up under the ministry in 1982 for carrying out various technical studies to establish the feasibility of the proposals of NPP and to give concrete shape to it.