Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Cabinet on Monday approved a Rs 8,653.04-crore scheme to create irrigation potential through deep borewells equipped with solar and non-solar pumping systems, primarily targeting water-deficit and hard-rock areas of the state.
The scheme, to be implemented over five years from 2026-27 to 2030-31 from the state’s own resources, envisages installation of 1.5 lakh deep borewell projects across 26 districts and 256 blocks, creating irrigation potential for 7.5 lakh hectares, according to an official press brief issued by the Water Resources Department.
The initiative is aimed at areas including highlands, hilly regions, Western Odisha and KBK districts, where limited scope for flow irrigation has constrained agricultural productivity and Rabi cultivation. The government expects the scheme to boost irrigation and cropping intensity, improve input-use efficiency and farm productivity, promote crop diversification and commercial farming, and generate employment.
It is also expected to support farm mechanisation, improve the welfare of farming households and reduce dependence on rainfed agriculture and seasonal migration.
