<h1>Externally aided Rs 280 crore forest resilience project builds 443 of 645 earthen check dams to boost water, fisheries, irrigation</h1> A state government reports construction of 443 earthen check dams out of a 645-target under an externally aided forest resilience project funded at Rs 280 crore and supported by a foreign finance agency. The dams, built in two districts, are intended to regulate water flow, reduce erosion, support fisheries and irrigation, and strengthen community resilience across designated villages. Project activities include capacity-building, distribution of fish fingerlings and inputs with donor approval, and monitoring of suitability for aquaculture. The seven-year project, initiated in 2020, continues amid local fish-production shortfalls supplemented by imports.