Bhubaneswar: Identifying El Nino as a major challenge before the state, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Monday suggested adopting a “whole of government approach” to tackle its possible impact on agriculture.
He directed the agriculture department to prepare a contingency plan to face the situation.
Majhi gave these instructions while chairing the State Level Natural Disaster Committee (SLNCC) meeting-2026 here to prepare an action plan to deal with possible natural disasters in the state this year.
In view of the possibility of less rainfall due to the ‘El Nino’ effect this year, the chief minister directed the agriculture, irrigation and other departments concerned to work in a “whole of government” approach in coordination so that the kharif crop is not affected.
The agriculture department was directed to prepare a special ‘Contingency Plan’, an official statement said.
A state-level monitoring mechanism is regularly tracking rainfall, water levels, crop planning, and the supply of fertilisers and seeds, it said.
Expressing concern over a possible fertiliser crisis due to the prevailing conflict in the Middle East region, Majhi asked district collectors to closely monitor the supply of urea and complex fertilisers and ensure sufficient ‘nano urea’ is in stock where required, according to the statement.
The state has formed a Monitoring Committee in every panchayat to prevent black marketing of fertilisers, it said.
Presiding over the meeting, Majhi said that Odisha has developed a ‘foolproof’ system in the field of disaster management. He stressed the importance of maintaining the system in the coming days.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari highlighted how Odisha has successfully dealt with natural disasters in the recent past, creating a unique example in the whole world.
Especially due to the well-thought-out pre-preparedness and timely rescue operations of the government, the state has been able to successfully adhere to the ‘Zero Casualty’ policy, he noted.
Among others, Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo, minister, MPs, MLAs, chief secretary, development commissioner and special relief commissioner (SRC), along with other senior officers, were present in the meeting.