NABARD sanctions Rs.1134.74 crore to Odisha

Odisha Channel Bureau Bhubaneswar: The project sanctioning committee of NABARD has sanctioned assistance of Rs.1134.74 crore to Odisha, including Rs.1040.96 crore for two important mega projects in Odisha for drinking water and lift irrigation.With this the cumulative sanction to the State during the current financial year shot up to Rs.1845.70 crore, according to an official release issued by the bank today.The assistance has been sanctioned under NABARD’s Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).The project sanctioning committee sanctioned the assistance in its meeting held on September 14.The mega drinking water supply project in fluoride affected blocks of Nuapada district involving RIDF assistance of Rs.543.63 crore, envisages supply of 100 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of drinking water to 1.20 lakh families in the fluoride affected blocks like Sinapali, Boden, Khariar, Komna and Nuapada of Nuapada district.The project will help the people to get safe drinking water and protect from fluorosis due to contamination of fluoride in ground water.To assist the State Government in achieving 35% of assured irrigation in all deficit blocks in the State, NABARD has also sanctioned 19 Mega Lift projects in Cluster III involving a RIDF assistance of Rs.497.33 crore.These projects envisage providing assured Kharif irrigation to about 24000 ha of agriculture uplands in the districts of Sambalpur, Bargarh, Balangir and Jharsuguda.These projects will help in increasing the irrigation potential in Ambabhona, Ghaislet, Jharsuguda, Kolabira, Lakhanpur, Rengali, Kuchinda and Agalpur blocks.Modern techniques of distributing water through underground pipes minimising the evaporation and seepage loss as compared to traditional flow irrigation are being adopted under these projects.Reiterating its commitment to the development of critical rural connectivity in the State, NABARD also sanctioned seven roads and one bridge projects.The road and bridge projects will be implemented in the districts of Koraput, Nuapada, Ganjam and Sambalpur.The sanction of road and bridge projects, involved a RIDF assistance of Rs.93.77 crore, will develop 100 km of road and 92 metres of bridge.