Bhubaneswar: Pani Panchayat has today emerged as a movement due to the partnership, sincerity and cooperation of the farmers, said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the State Level Pani Panchayat Pakshya-2023 held at the conference hall of the Lok Seva Bhawan here, Patnaik informed that from a mere 700 Pani Panchyats in the beginning, today 37,000 Pani Panchayats are functioning.
Similarly, from providing irrigation in 3.32 lakh hectare in the beginning, Pani Panchayats are providing 23.46 lakh hectares. This is indeed a great achievement, the Chief Minister opined.
Stating that Pani Panchayats are being implemented in various medium, small and lift irrigation project areas, the Chief Minister said that these will be also implemented in large lift irrigation project areas in the coming days.
The CM said, water is priceless. The first adverse impact of climate change will be on water and agriculture, said the CM while calling upon all not to waste water, but to use it properly. Conserve, reuse and recycle should be our goal, he added.
On the occasion, the CM launched “Sinchita”-a booklet on trainning on partnership in irrigation, Applications like Infra and MIS Module under e-CAD.
Water Resources Minister Tukuni Sahu, Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, Additional Chief Secretary of Water Resources Department Anu Garg and other dignitaries attended the programme.
