RAS question
The Rajasthan Canal (Indira Gandhi Canal) originates from which barrage?
Correct answer: (A) Harike Barrage (Punjab).
The Rajasthan Canal, now known as the Indira Gandhi Canal, originates from Harike Barrage in Punjab.
Explanation
The Indira Gandhi Canal originates at Harike Barrage in Punjab, at the confluence of the Sutlej and Beas rivers. This is why Harike is the only option that fits the canal's starting point: the Government of India's PIB release refers to the head regulator of the Indira Gandhi Feeder at Harike and discusses the Harike Head Works in relation to that feeder. The canal is 649 km long, is India's longest canal, and carries water towards the Thar Desert region of Rajasthan. For RAS, the key link is not just the canal's name but its source: Harike in Punjab, not a dam elsewhere in India.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Tehri Dam is in Uttarakhand, while the Indira Gandhi Canal originates at Harike Barrage in Punjab.
- (C) Nagarjuna Sagar is in Andhra Pradesh here, whereas the canal's origin is Harike Barrage at the Sutlej-Beas confluence in Punjab.
- (D) Bhakra Dam is not the direct source of the canal; the origin is Harike Barrage in Punjab.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan geography, especially irrigation projects and canal systems linked to the Thar Desert. It recurs in RAS because major water-transfer projects are central to Rajasthan's physical geography and development questions.