Bhubaneswar: Union Minister of Rural Development, Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on Friday reviewed Odisha’s new generation watershed development projects, including the Watershed Development Component of PM-Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY 2.0) and the PM-AWAS Yojana, through video conferencing. Union Minister of State for Rural Development, Chandrasekhar, also participated in the review.
During the meeting, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment, Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, presented the status of watershed development in Odisha. He highlighted that the state has effectively utilized 88% of the funds released, aimed at enhancing the productive potential of rainfed and degraded land through integrated watershed management and strengthening community-based local institutions to promote livelihoods and ensure watershed sustainability.
Deputy CM Singh Deo proposed policy reforms, including an increase in unit cost per hectare under WDC—from ₹22,000 to ₹26,000 for plain areas and from ₹28,000 to ₹35,000 for hilly regions. He also extended gratitude to the Union Agriculture Minister for including four Odisha districts—Nuapada, Malkangiri, Kandhamal, and Sundargarh—under the Prime Minister Dhan Dhanya Yojana, aimed at promoting aspirational agricultural development.
The review meeting was attended by Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Principal Secretary, DAFE, Odisha, Subrat Kumar Panda, Director of Soil Conservation & Watershed Development, and senior officers from the Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, Government of Odisha.
