The Orissa government has prepared a prospective plan to create irrigation potential for additional 5.61 lakh hectares in the state in the next five years through various sources including the ongoing medium and major irrigation projects.
The state government claims to have brought 47 percent of the cultivable land under irrigation so far. The state has about 61.65 lakh hectares of cultivable land.
Work on at least 14 major and medium irrigation projects, worth around Rs 11,000 crore, is currently on under different schemes. While Rs 5000-crore has already been spent on these projects, another Rs 6,000 crore is required to be invested to complete the projects.
The state government has targeted to create irrigation potential for additional 1.14 lakh hectares in 2010-11.
Out of this, 51,000 hectares will be covered by major and medium irrigation projects, 23,000 hectares by minor irrigation projects and 40,000 lakh hectares by lift irrigation projects (LIPs), sources said.
