Chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday said that the sacred Saraswati river binds not only Haryana, but the entire country in a sacred bond of cultural unity and the state government is working to revive the river by constructing sarovars and reservoirs.
The CM said that the government is working on a plan to develop major pilgrimage sites associated with the Saraswati as tirtha. He was speaking at the closing ceremony of Saraswati Mahotsav 2026, organised by the Haryana Saraswati Heritage Development Board on the auspicious occasion of Basant Panchami, at Pehowa Saraswati Teerth in Kurukshetra.
Earlier, Saini also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 26 projects worth ₹63.86 crore for the revival of the Saraswati river. The CM also laid the foundation stone of a master plan for the development of Saraswati Teerth.
Geeta Manishi Swami Gyananand, chief minister’s OSD Bharat Bhushan Bharti, Board’s vice-president Dhooman Singh Kirmach and others were present.
The dignitaries offered their prayers at the Maa Saraswati Temple and later paid homage to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Deenbandhu Sir Chhotu Ram at the venue.
The CM said that the government is determined to re-establish the historical identity of the Saraswati River by reviving it so that future generations can proudly say that they are residents of the land where human civilization first set foot.
{{/usCountry}}The CM said that the government is determined to re-establish the historical identity of the Saraswati River by reviving it so that future generations can proudly say that they are residents of the land where human civilization first set foot.
{{/usCountry}}“The government is working in collaboration with more than 75 prestigious research organisations, including ISRO, the Geological Survey of India, ONGC, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, and the Central Ground Water Board. Scientific studies by these institutions have proven that the Saraswati is not a mythical river, but that the ancient river channel still exists from Adi Badri to the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. Its groundwater is 5,000 to 14,000 years old and is linked to the glaciers of Himachal,” he added.
Saini further said that the government is developing the entire region from Adi Badri to Sirsa as a national tourism circuit which includes historical sites such as Kurukshetra, Pehowa, Kaithal, Hisar, Rakhigarhi, Fatehabad, and Sirsa.
“The government has constructed 18 new bridges along the Saraswati River in the past 10 years. Additionally, 111 heritage sites along the river’s banks have been renovated. Saraswati Vatika has been established in the Pehowa Saraswati Forest. Furthermore, the government has included a chapter on the Saraswati River in NCERT textbooks,” he added.