Dikhyaa Mohanty 
According to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday, the state government of Odisha has sanctioned projects totalling Rs 46,000 crore for the water sector over the past four years and would invest Rs 75,000 crore in the sector over the next five years. Patnaik was speaking during a ceremony to celebrate Team Odisha and the Ganjam district’s achievement in winning National Water Awards from the Water Resource Department. The CM declared that the development of water resources is given high priority by his government.
“To help individuals achieve their goals, we have finished a lot of initiatives recently. The public’s expectations of the government have been rising. Therefore, we should continue putting in a lot of effort. The livelihoods of our farmers and agriculture are greatly impacted by any change in water supplies, according to Chief Minister Patnaik.
The Ganjam district won the top prize among the districts at the 4th National Water Awards, while the State was recognized as the second-best state for water management and conservation. The CM asserted that the Water Resources Department is following the text and spirit of the 5-T principles. And the outcomes are plain to observe. Numerous irrigation initiatives, including Lower Suktel, the Kanupur Project, Subarnarekha, Chheligada, and many more, are almost finished.
The CM said that the kind of in-stream storage facilities and major lift projects that have been undertaken would alter the state’s irrigation potential and, therefore, the way that millions of farmers live.
“The Water Resources Department needs to formulate strategies and build climate-resilient sustainable water infrastructure to make Odisha a Water Secure State at the earliest. That apart, all Collectors need to take up water conservation measures on a large scale as done by Collector, Ganjam to meet the water requirement of their Districts,” the Chief Minister added.
