Sidhmukh Nohar Irrigation Project is the old name of the Rajiv Gandhi Nahar Scheme.
The foundation stone was laid by Rajiv Gandhi on 5th October 1989 from Bhirani village near Bhadra. The project received funding from the
European Economic Community. The project was later launched by Sonia Gandhi on 12th July 2002.
The objectives of the project were:-
To reduce rural poverty by raising farm income in the drought-prone area of Sidhmukh and Nohar region.
To help slow down and reverse the current rate of degradation of the environment due to factors such as wind erosion.
Guaranteed water supply to villages.
The flow of water in the canal system of the Sidhmukh Project under the rotation system of Bhakra Beas Management Board started from May 2002 but the water was not being utilised for irrigation purpose due to non-completion of the micro-canalization survey, non-preparation of chak planning, and nonconstruction of watercourses.