Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The Odisha government has adopted satellite imagery of plots for bringing transparency in paddy procurement. During the ongoing Kharif season, suspected non-cultivated paddy plots were identified through satellite imagery and thoroughly verified in a systematic manner to identify genuine paddy cultivation in registered land parcels. It also ensured accurate identification of non-cultivated paddy areas.
The state government has so far identified 26,14,137 plots across 30 districts for field survey. Of those, survey of 24,94,437 plots has already been completed. Those identified as suspected plots will undergo a field verification. Based on the verification process carried out till date, 546,591 plots have been categorised as paddy cultivated land and around 19 lakh identified as non-paddy cultivated land.
Farmers who have mistakenly registered non-cultivated land as paddy cultivated land during the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2025–2026 are to get showcause notifications from the Deputy Registrar of Cooperative Societies (DRCS) of all districts. The three-step procedure of satellite verification involves the identification of suspected plots using satellite images, followed by field verification by district authorities. In the last phase, district-level DRCS authorities accept the confirmed plots.
