UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Why are there protests over the Ken-Betwa project?
Q1. The National Perspective Plan (NPP) for interlinking of rivers, formulated in 1980, was originally prepared by which one of the following?
- A. The Central Water Commission
- B. The then Union Ministry of Irrigation
- C. The National Water Development Agency
- D. The Union Ministry of Jal Shakti
Q2. Consider the following statements regarding the National Perspective Plan (1980) for interlinking of rivers:
1. Its Himalayan Component envisages storages on the principal tributaries of the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.
2. Its Peninsular Component accounts for 16 of the 30 links identified for feasibility reports.
3. The Ken-Betwa link falls under the Himalayan Component of the plan.
4. The National Water Development Agency was established in 1982 to conduct feasibility studies.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correctly stated?
- Its Himalayan Component envisages storages on the principal tributaries of the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.
- Its Peninsular Component accounts for 16 of the 30 links identified for feasibility reports.
- The Ken-Betwa link falls under the Himalayan Component of the plan.
- The National Water Development Agency was established in 1982 to conduct feasibility studies.
- A. 1 and 4 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 4 only
Q3. The Ken-Betwa Link Project is implemented under the administrative aegis of which one of the following Union Ministries?
- A. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- B. The Ministry of Earth Sciences
- C. The Ministry of Jal Shakti
- D. The Ministry of Rural Development
Q4. The Ken and the Betwa, the two rivers linked under the Ken-Betwa Link Project, are both tributaries of which one of the following rivers?
- A. The Ganga
- B. The Yamuna
- C. The Chambal
- D. The Son
Q5. Which one of the following statements correctly describes the funding pattern of the Ken-Betwa Link Project?
- A. The Centre bears the entire project cost of ₹44,605 crore.
- B. The Centre's support of ₹39,317 crore is provided exclusively as a grant.
- C. The bulk of the Centre's support is a grant, with a much smaller loan component.
- D. The project is funded entirely on a 50:50 Centre-State sharing basis.
Q6. The Union Cabinet approved central support of ₹39,317 crore for the Ken-Betwa Link Project. The loan component within this support is approximately:
- A. ₹1,500 crore
- B. ₹6,054 crore
- C. ₹9,317 crore
- D. ₹3,027 crore
Q7. Wildlife clearance for the Ken-Betwa Link Project, which passes through the Panna Tiger Reserve, was granted by which one of the following bodies?
- A. The Expert Appraisal Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
- B. The National Tiger Conservation Authority
- C. The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife
- D. The Central Empowered Committee constituted by the Supreme Court
Q8. Consider the following statements regarding the environmental impact of the Ken-Betwa Link Project:
1. The project's submergence area lies partly within the core critical tiger habitat of the Panna Tiger Reserve.
2. The Daudhan Dam is the principal structure whose reservoir causes the submergence within the reserve.
3. The clearance was granted on the condition that not a single tree would be felled for the project.
4. The entire area of the Panna Tiger Reserve will be submerged by the project.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- The project's submergence area lies partly within the core critical tiger habitat of the Panna Tiger Reserve.
- The Daudhan Dam is the principal structure whose reservoir causes the submergence within the reserve.
- The clearance was granted on the condition that not a single tree would be felled for the project.
- The entire area of the Panna Tiger Reserve will be submerged by the project.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1, 2 and 4 only
- D. 3 and 4 only
Q9. Which one of the following statements about the July 2026 protests against the Ken-Betwa Link Project at Kupi village is correct?
- A. The protestors demanded the complete and permanent scrapping of the entire river-interlinking programme across India.
- B. The protest was led by Amit Bhatnagar of the Jai Kisan Sangathan, who undertook an indefinite hunger strike.
- C. The agitation was called off only after the government agreed to relocate the Panna Tiger Reserve.
- D. All the affected families had unanimously accepted the rehabilitation package before the protest began.
Q10. Consider the following statements about the 2026 Ken-Betwa protests at Kupi village:
1. The protestors were predominantly tribal families from the Panna and Chhatarpur districts.
2. Amit Bhatnagar suspended his fast in July 2026 after an assurance of fresh verification of families excluded from rehabilitation.
3. The protest site was located on the banks of the Barana river stream.
4. Amit Bhatnagar is the founder of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- The protestors were predominantly tribal families from the Panna and Chhatarpur districts.
- Amit Bhatnagar suspended his fast in July 2026 after an assurance of fresh verification of families excluded from rehabilitation.
- The protest site was located on the banks of the Barana river stream.
- Amit Bhatnagar is the founder of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan.
- A. 2 and 4 only
- B. 1 only
- C. 4 only
- D. 3 and 4 only
Q11. Which one of the following is recognised as the first inter-basin river-linking project to be taken up for implementation under the National Perspective Plan?
- A. The Ken-Betwa link
- B. The Par-Tapi-Narmada link
- C. The Godavari-Cauvery link
- D. The Mahanadi-Godavari link
Q12. The Ken-Betwa Link Project is primarily aimed at addressing chronic water scarcity in which one of the following regions?
- A. The Malwa region
- B. The Baghelkhand region
- C. The Bundelkhand region
- D. The Vidarbha region