New Delhi, March 19 -- Punjab has expanded its canal irrigation coverage to nearly 78% of farmland, up from 26.5% in 2022, following a series of infrastructure upgrades and restoration projects, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said on Wednesday.

The state has also unlocked an additional 10,000 cusecs of water from seasonal rivers and streams, effectively creating irrigation capacity comparable to the Bhakra canal, Mann said while outlining the government's four-year performance in the sector.

The government has invested around Rs.6,700 crore in canal lining, modernisation and expansion works, increasing the area receiving canal water to nearly 58 lakh acres.

According to the chief minister, around 13,000 km of canals have been resto...