Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday called upon newly recruited junior engineers (civil) to keep themselves updated in new technologies and bring innovative solutions to challenging issues.
Speaking at an induction programme of 441 junior engineers (civil), who have joined in the Water Resources department, Naveen said with the government’s 5T initiative, several major irrigation projects have been accelerated with application of modern technology.
“Now that you are in public service, your sole responsibility is to serve the people with utmost transparency, sincerity and commitment. Our every action has a direct impact on the lives of people. We must be sensitive to the needs and aspirations of people and do our best to serve them,” the chief minister said.
Stating that Water Resources is a critical wing of the government that looks into a multitude of development works, he said the department makes a significant impact on people from all sections of society. “Engineers of this department take up various projects including provision of irrigation facilities to farmland, protection from floods and resource development for drinking water, industries, fisheries and many other life changing activities,” he added.
Speaking on the projects of the department, Naveen said, “The state has more than 4,000 dams and several others are under construction. The government has taken up construction of 30 in-stream storage structures in the first phase and another 41 will be constructed in second and third phase. These projects will help us in water conservation, rural water supply and improve the ground water level which is emerging as a critical environmental issue.”
Water Resources Department Minister Tukuni Sahu said the farmers remain at the centre of the chief minister’s vision of New Odisha. Therefore, the engineers of this department, who work for providing water to farmlands, have a very important role in the state’s transformation, she added.
Development commissioner Anu Garg said the department has a major role in farmers’ empowerment as it creates water infrastructure for farmers. With the quantum and scale of work increasing, she asked the new engineers to work as team and complete the projects in time by using modern technology. EIC Bhakta Ranjan Mohanty also spoke.
