Bhubaneswar: In appreciation of contributions of farmers and water users, the Odisha government will observe Pani Panchayat Pakhya (Pani Panchayat Fortnight) from January 16 to 30.
In the first leg of the Pani Panchayat, the Water Resources department will hold Irrigation Division (Major, Medium, MI & LI) level functions across 117 divisions in the State on Tuesday. The district level functions will be held on January 24 and the state-level function on January 30.
The ministers will flag off Raths on the inaugural day in presence of MPs/MLAs, local panchayat and urban local body representatives and eminent persons.
Various activities such as debate, essay, painting and quiz competitions, exhibition of models among school students; Pani Panchayat Samabesha; Information Education Communication/Social Behavioural Change Communication (IEC/SBCC) activities through exhibitions and Raths will also be organised. Banners, brochures, logo, slogan, tagline, anthem, oath have also been prepared to create the buzz.
The Pani Panchayat movement in the state has come a long way from about 700 Water Users’ Associations in 1995-2002 to more than 39,289 Pani Panchayats now.
The Odisha Pani Panchayat Act, 2002 has been amended to make it more inclusive. Those include formation of Pani Panchayats under the Mega Lift Irrigation Projects; inclusion of spouses of land holders to increase representation of women, e-CAD, web and mobile app-based application for real-time monitoring of Pani Panchayats and infrastructure such as field channels.
Through projects such as Odisha Integrated Project for Climate Resilient Agriculture (OIIPCRA), Pani Panchayats are being initiated for promotion of improved crop productivity; adoption of resilient agricultural practices and
technologies; diversification of crops and adaptation to climate change; efficient use of water; availing good quality, better yielding and resilient seeds etc. Such efforts have also been awarded at the national level.
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