Bhubaneswar: After the observance of Pani Panchayat Pakhya, 2023 in 117 Divisions of the State under the Department of Water Resources on 1st February 2023, the Pakhya has been observed the second phase across 30 districts of the State on Thursday.
District-level Pani Panchayat Samavesh in presence of Pani Panchayat members, farmers and other important stakeholders are being organised on the occasion of Pani Panchayat Pakhya from 1st February to 15th February.
Niranjan Pujari, Minister, Finance, Health & Family Welfare, Pradeep Kumar Amat, Minister, Forest, Environment & Climate Change, Information & PR, Panchayatiraj & Drinking Water attended the district level function of the Pani Panchayat fortnight at Sonepur and Boudh respectively.
MLAs of Rajgangpur, MLA, Rourkela and MLA, Sundergarh, Bargarh, Rajanagar also chaired the district-level functions of the Pakhya in respective districts. Angul District level Pani Panchayat Pakhya has been celebrated in presence of Deputy Speaker, Rajani Kant Singh, MLA Chhendipada, ADM (Revenue), ACE Angul Circle, Irrigation & other dignitaries.
Similarly, District level Pani Panchayat Pakhya celebration was organised at DRDA Conference Hall, Bhadrak in Presence of MLA, Bhadrak, Zilla Parisada, Bhadrak, Block Chairman, Bhadrak and other District Level officials along with farmers.
Inauguration of exhibition stalls have been carried out in presence of MLA Kabisuryanagar, MLA Chhatrapur, Chief Development officer- cum-EO, ZP, Ganjam on the occasion of District Level Function of Pani Panchayat Pakhya.
Further, Collectors & District Magistrates, Bargarh, Kendrapara, and Nawarangpur also led the district-level function of the Pakhya at their respective headquarters.
District-level PPP has been celebrated at Kandhamal district headquarters in presence of Collector, Kandhamal, Jalaprabhari for Kandhamal district with all the related departmental functionaries like Agriculture & Farmers Empowerment, Fisheries & ARD and officials from Lift Irrigation, Irrigation of DoWR etc.
This day is observed to acknowledge the importance of Pani Panchayats in water governance, participatory irrigation management and ensuring equity at the grassroots level.
The Pani Panchayat Raths, carrying Information Education Communication, Social Behavioural Change Communication (IEC/SBCC) materials and audiovisuals, have in the meanwhile, after covering the projects, divisions and prominent places of the district, returned to the district headquarters on 8th February.
Exhibitions are also being conducted in convergence with the District Level Mela on Farm Mechanisation being held by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment.
The winners from various activities such as debate, essay, painting and quiz competitions held on February 6, were awarded in the district level function organised today.