Bagia Barrage Offers Jashpur Farmers Hope for a Second Crop

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai unveils the foundation plaque for the Bagia Barrage and pressurised lift irrigation project at his camp office in Bagia, Jashpur district, on Monday, 9 November 2026.Photo:primelookindia.com via CG/CMO

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai laid the foundation stone for the ₹79.38-crore irrigation project, which is expected to serve more than 3,921 farmers across 13 villages.

Jashpur, Monday, 9 November 2026 — Farmers in 13 villages of Jashpur district could have a more reliable supply of water for both kharif and rabi crops once the Bagia Barrage project is completed. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai laid the foundation stone on Monday at his camp office in Bagia for the barrage and its pressurised lift irrigation system, designed to serve 8,454 hectares of farmland.

Water for the rabi season

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai performs bhoomi pujan for the Bagia Barrage irrigation project in Bagia, Jashpur district, on Monday, 9 November 2026.Photo: primelookindia.com via CG/CMO

“Making water available to farmers for irrigation throughout the year is our priority,” Sai said. He noted that farmers often depend on rainfall where irrigation is inadequate. With water available for rabi as well as kharif crops, he said, farmers would have a better chance of growing more than one crop a year and increasing their income.

The barrage will be built on the Maini River at Muskuti village, about a kilometre from the bridge over the river. Bagia, Rajauti, Sujibahar, Dokda, Patrapali and Bansbahar are among the 13 villages expected to benefit.

Irrigation system to use mobile controls

Sai said the irrigation system would be operable through a mobile device. He described the project as the first of its kind in Chhattisgarh to use this technology and said it would make water management easier.

The Chief Minister said timely access to irrigation water could help farmers raise production. He added that the government’s broader aim was to expand access to modern irrigation, reduce cultivation costs and improve farm incomes.

District Panchayat President Salik Sai, Kaushalya Sai, Collector Rohit Vyas and Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Lal Umed Singh attended the ceremony along with public representatives, officials and residents.