Bhubaneswar: The state government has prepared a detailed plan to spend Rs 497 crore on boosting the irrigation potential of the state.
Even though the Centre had launched the Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD&WM) programme in 1976-77 to enhance farm output and productivity, the scheme was limited to only eight major and medium irrigation projects in Odisha.
As the Union government is not taking up new projects under the scheme, the state government has decided to take up the scheme further from its own fund.
The Water Resource department has prepared a detailed proposal with an estimated Rs 497 crore to be spent during 2020-21 and 2023-24 and submitted it to the Finance department for its approval.
Out of the total, Rs 425.17 crore will be spent by the Water Resources department while Rs 71.92 crore had been earmarked as its MGNREGA component.
For the current year, a provision of only Rs 24 crore has been proposed while the state government will spend Rs 163.55 crore during 2021-22, Rs 162.25 crore in 2022-23, and Rs 146.73 crore in 2023-24. Administrative expenses will be around Rs 50 lakh.
Under the scheme, the government will strengthen the distribution network in irrigated areas so that water will be available for the field. It will also help in judicious and equitable distribution of the available water with active involvement of farmers through participatory irrigation management.
Awareness will be created among farmers for better management of water and crop diversification so as to increase agricultural production and productivity.
The Water Resource department has set a target to construct field level channels for 1,37,000 hectares and micro irrigation projects for 1500 hectares. The field drain work will be taken up with convergence of MGNREGA.
The government will not do any land acquisition for construction of the projects. It will take land from farmers as contribution through Pani Panchayats. After creation of assets, it will be handed over to concerned Pani Panchayats as per the Orissa Pani Panchayat Act 2002.
