BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday announced investment of Rs 75,000 crore in the next five years for development of water sector in the state. Felicitating the water resources team of the state and Ganjam district for being conferred national water awards, the chief minister said the government has approved projects worth Rs 46,000 crore in the last four years for development of the sector.
The chief minister, however, asked the Water Resources department to formulate strategies and build climate resilient sustainable infrastructure to make Odisha a water secure state at the earliest. He said all collectors should take up water conservation measures on a large scale as is being done by the Ganjam collector to meet the water requirement of their respective districts.
Lauding the Water Resources department for implementing the 5T principle in letter and spirit, the chief minister said the results are there for everybody to see. “Many of the irrigation projects such as Lower Suktel, Kanupur, Subarnarekha and Chheligada are nearing completion,” he added.
Stating his government accords top priority to development of water resources, the chief minister said the kind of in-stream storage structures and mega lift projects which have been taken up will change the face of irrigation in the state and in turn, the lives of millions of farmers. He said the state government has completed a number of projects in recent years to fulfil the aspirations of people and expectations of people have been growing. “ So we should keep working hard. Any impact in water resources has tremendous impact in agriculture and in the lives of our farmers,” he added.
Appreciating the commitment and efforts of the state and district officials, the chief minister expected the same to continue so that Odisha will be a role model to others at national and international level. While the state has received award as the second best state in water conservation and management, the Ganjam district has got the top award among the districts at the fourth national water awards. Water Resources Minister Tukuni Sahoo, chief secretary PK Jena and development commissioner Anu Garg also addressed the meeting.