Odisha Cabinet Clears ₹234.79 Crore Mega Lift Irrigation Project for Khurda, Puri

Bhubaneswar: In a significant push to strengthen irrigation infrastructure and boost agricultural productivity, the Odisha Cabinet on Saturday approved a ₹234.79 crore lift irrigation project under the Parbati Giri Mega Lift Irrigation Scheme to bring nearly 7,700 hectares of farmland in Khurda and Puri districts under assured irrigation.

The project, to be implemented under Cluster No. XXXIV, will cover 92 villages — 54 in Khurda and 38 in Puri — by drawing water from the Mahanadi and Daya rivers through an intake system and distributing it to agricultural fields using a pressurised pipeline network.

The Cabinet approved the lowest financial bid of ₹234.79 crore, excluding GST, for execution of the project. It also sanctioned ₹21.81 crore, excluding GST, towards operation and maintenance for a period of 15 years. The project is slated for completion within 36 months.

The initiative is part of the State government’s ambitious Parbati Giri Mega Lift Irrigation Scheme, which has an overall investment of ₹10,759.20 crore. The programme aims to provide supplemental kharif irrigation to about 2.64 lakh hectares of upland agricultural land across Odisha by harnessing surplus water from rivers, reservoirs and canals that cannot be utilised through conventional gravity-based irrigation systems.

According to the government, the project is expected to improve irrigation access in upland areas, promote efficient water use through a micro-irrigation-compatible distribution system, and encourage farmers to shift from water-intensive paddy cultivation to high-value cash crops.

The government said the project is expected to enhance agricultural productivity, improve farm incomes and strengthen the socio-economic conditions of farming communities in the two districts.