Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday stressed on uninterrupted water supply for enhancing agriculture productivity and improving livelihood of the farmers in the state.
Speaking at the 50th Foundation Day of Odisha Lift Irrigation Corporation (OLIC) in Bhubaneswar, the chief minister said from food deficiency and poverty a few decades ago, Odisha has now become a food surplus state and the third largest supplier of food grains to the country’s public distribution system (PDS).
“Our progressive policies in the farm sector have a transformative impact. Sustainability, crop diversification, improved water provision and use of technology are changing the way of farming,” he said.
He further said in an agrarian state like Odisha, farmers are the backbones of the food security system. “We need assured and uninterrupted water supply for enhancing productivity and improve livelihood of our farmers. We have conceptualised various irrigation projects to achieve our objective in this direction,” he added.
Appreciating the role of OLIC in providing the critical water component, he said it has become an indispensable organisation of the state in the last 50 years. Since its establishment on October 1, 1973, the OLIC has contributed to 30% of the total irrigation facility of the state by irrigating over 13.50 lakh hectare of cultivable land.
The chief minister launched E-Lift and ERP automation for the OLIC, dedicated a toll-free number for customer relationship centres and released a commemorative book on the occasion.
Water Resources Minister Tukuni Sahu, chief secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, Additional Chief Secretary Water Resources Anu Gerg and OLIC MD Archana Patnaik also spoke.
