Odisha CM inaugurates lift irrigation projects worth Rs 2,500 crore

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on December 16 inaugurated 59 lift irrigation projects that have been developed at a cost of Rs 2,500 crore. Developed under the Parvati Giri Mega Lift Irrigation project, the 59 utilities will help irrigate about 80,000 hectare of land in 13 districts of the state, officials said.

He also laid the foundation stone for 33 other such projects, which will irrigate about 50,000 hectare of land in nine districts after completion, they said. Patnaik said he was happy that the farmers of the state were getting benefits of the project.

He said the state's agriculture budget has tripled in five years and reached Rs 25,000 crore. The chief minister noted that 20 in-stream storage structure projects are being implemented for utilising the river water for agriculture purpose and charging groundwater.

Under the Parvati Giri Mega Lift Irrigation Project, 208 utilities have been completed so far for irrigating 2,64,330 hectare of agricultural land. In the second phase, 170 irrigation projects are being developed.