Who conceived the idea of the Indira Gandhi Canal Project?

The correct answer is Kanwar Sain.

Important Points

• The idea of Indira Gandhi Canal was conceived by a hydraulic engineer, Kanwar Sain.
• He proposed that desert land in Bikaner and the Jaisalmer could be brought under irrigation.
• In 1960, the Indus Water Treaty was signed between India and Pakistan.
• India gets right to use waters of three rivers –the Satluj, Beas and Ravi.
• The proposed Rajasthan Canal envisaged use of 7.6 million acre-feet of water.

Additional Information

• The Indira Gandhi Canal is also called the Rajasthan Canal.
  • It is the longest canal in India.
  • It starts from the Harike Barrage at Harike, near the confluence of the Satluj and Beas rivers in Punjab and terminates its irrigation facilities in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan.
  • The Rajasthan Canal was renamed the Indira Gandhi Canal on 2nd November 1984 after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.