District Level Pani Panchayat Fortnight Inaugurated
Rayagada (Badal Tah) : District level pani panchayat fortnight for the year 2024-25 was launched last Thursday at Biju Patnaik Kalyan Mandap situated in Rayagada Ring Road. The chief guest Rayagada MLA Kadraka Appallaswamy and guest of honor Bissm Cuttack MLA Nilamadhab Hikaka, ADM Rayagada Bhaskar Raita, Superintendent Engineer, Minor Irrigation(MI) Division, Rayagada Dusi Sudhakar Kumar, Project Director, Watershed Dayanidhi Bagh, Executive Engineer, Upper Irrigation Division, Gunupur Binod Das, Additional District Chief Agricultural Officer, Rayagada Shyam Murmu, Deputy Director of Horticulture Dayanidhi Raut and all the officers from Minor Irrigation Division and many pani Panchayat members along with district correspondents attended.
“Odisha Pani Panchayat Act-2002 was promulgated with effect from 15.11. 2002 Later necessary amendments to the Pani Panchayat Act was made and the revised act was published in Odisha Gazette in 2009 and then in 2014. It is an annual event of the Department of Water Resources, Govt of Odisha. The aim is to create mass awareness among the stakeholders of water resources regarding participatory water management. The campaign will make people aware about rain water harvesting, water management, Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of canals, Command Area Development (CAD), maintenance of Lift Irrigation (LI) points and other water resources-both ground and surface”, Dusi told.
Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials such as Brochures, “Pani Panchayat Samachar”, “Pani Panchayat Katha” and Leaflets on Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) were distributed. The guests spoke about the work and role of pani panchayat & proper management, proper investment and sustainable distribution of water. Apart from that, students, who won the first, second and third place in the district level speech, essay, drawing, quiz, model exhibition competition among the 8th to 10th class, were awarded. In addition, the enterprising farmers also spoke on the occasion about advantages and disadvantages in functioning of Pani Panchayat. The officials from MI deptt respondend to farmers’ questions and clarified the dilemma of farmers.
