Bhubaneswar: The Odisha water resources minister, Raghunanadan Das, Thursday said that the Odisha Lift Irrigation Corporation (OLIC) will bring 1 lakh hectares of land under irrigation in 2019-20. He said that currently, 50 of the total irrigation in the State is by lift irrigations.
The minister, while addressing the 47th Foundation Day of the OLIC said that the target set by the Corporation could be achieved if the engineers, employees and pani panchayats work together.
The OLIC chairman, Amaresh Patri, said that there is an urgent need to cover more and more areas under irrigation in the State. He said that only irrigation would bring in food security to 4 crore people of the State. He urged the OLIC employees and officers to use 5Ts mantra of chief minister Naveen Patnaik to complete the irrigation projects.
Water Resources commissioner Vishal Gagan, OLIC MD Archana Patnaik, executive director Himadri Sekhar Ray also addressed the foundation day function.
State Disabled Commission chairperson Sulochana Das, OSIC chairman Chinmoy Sahoo, Odisha Khadi Board chairman Sangram Keshri Paikray and fishery development corporation chairman Asit Patnaik were felicitated on this occasion.
Farmers of 15 Pani Panchyats were also felicitated on this occasion.
The employees of the OLIC staged a comedy play ‘Samayara Hatare Jibanara Khela’.
