Bhubaneswar: Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo flagged off the Land Resource Inventory Van at Krushi Bhavan today. Under the REWARD pilot project, the LRI Yatra will be launched across various Gram Panchayats in five districts, including Nayagarh, Koraput, Sambalpur, Dhenkanal, and Deogarh.
This includes eight Gram Panchayats in Deogarh, 14 in Dhenkanal, 16 in Koraput, 19 in Nayagarh, and 22 in Sambalpur. The LRI Yatra, through the designated LRI Raths, will commence today in these districts and will continue for one month.
The primary objective of this Yatra is to create awareness among farmers about the Land Resource Inventory (LRI) and scientific watershed management. The Land Resource Inventory database generated through the process has been used to prepare the LRI Cards.
While addressing the gathering Deputy Chief Minister said, by using these cards, farmers can understand land suitability, appropriate crops, soil-related issues, and recommended treatments.
With the help of this card, farmers will gain knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of their land, enabling them to make informed decisions on crop selection, fertiliser management, soil conservation measures, and suitable water conservation practices.
Through this initiative, farmers will also be informed about the usefulness of the LRI Cards, distributed by the Directorate of Soil Conservation & Watershed Development under the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment.
In addition, the programme will include the launching of new works under micro-watersheds (Bhoomi pujan), LRI Mahotsav, Shramadan activities, Pani Ki Pathshala, and the inauguration of previously completed works. The overarching aim of these efforts is to enhance awareness among farmer groups within the watershed areas.
Farmers who have already benefited by using the data provided in the LRI Cards are planned to be felicitated during this programme, said by the Agriculture Secretary, Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee. Furthermore, to educate the younger generation on soil conservation and watershed management, quiz competitions will be organised in schools at the Panchayat level.
The movement of the LRI Raths engaged in this Yatra will be monitored through the MIS mobile application. Effective utilisation of the LRI Card will help increase crop productivity in watershed areas, support soil and water conservation, and significantly contribute to the overall development of watershed areas.
Director Soil Conservation & Watershed Management Subrat Kumar Panda, Senior officers from Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, Directorate of Soil Conservation were present.
