Odisha Launches Rs 141 Cr Drought Mitigation Initiative For Farmer Resilience

In a major move to climate-proof its agricultural sector, the Odisha government on Thursday launched the Odisha Agriculture Drought Mitigation Programme (OADMP). Rolled out under the National Drought Mitigation Project (NDMP), the Rs 141.50 crore initiative marks a strategic shift from reactive disaster response to a proactive, science-driven resilience framework, officials said.

The Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was signed by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment during the inaugural session of Krushi Odisha 2026, in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo. The programme brings together key institutions, including the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA), and leading international research bodies such as ICRISAT, IRRI, and ICAR-CRIDA.

Moving away from conventional scheme-based interventions, the OADMP follows a “landscape-first” approach, integrating water, soil, and crop management across entire village clusters so that interventions complement and strengthen one another. “This initiative goes beyond short-term relief. We are creating a system where science guides every step—from the farm level to the broader value chain,” said Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Additional Chief Secretary of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment.

The MoA envisages a total outlay of Rs 141.50 crore, jointly funded through the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) and the state government. The programme will be implemented initially in three highly vulnerable blocks—Komna in Nuapada district, Kosagumuda in Nabarangpur, and Raruan in Mayurbhanj. It is expected to directly benefit around 24,000 households, with many more gaining through convergence with existing state and central schemes. A real-time digital dashboard will monitor outcomes ranging from soil moisture levels to household incomes, ensuring transparency and enabling data-driven expansion.