Bhubaneswar: Two major irrigation projects worth Rs 1508 crore in tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district, were dedicated on Friday by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Participating in a programme at Tikarpada near Rasgovindpur in Mayurbhanj district, Patnaik dedicated Rs 685 crore Subarnarekha Multipurpose irrigation project and Rs 823 crore Deo Irrigation project to transform the agriculture scenario of the district.
He also laid the foundation stone of several developmental projects in the district.
The Subarnarekha irrigation project will create an additional irrigation facility for 17,121 hectares benefiting 55,000 farmers. The Deo Irrigation project would provide assured irrigation to 9900 hectares of land to benefit 2 lakh people in 100 villages.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said the programmes launched by the state government for the Scheduled Tribe people have started yielding good results.
The programmes to empower them through education and employment have earned the ST children a name for themselves in the country and abroad by their skills, he said adding developmental and welfare projects in agriculture, education, health and other programmes launched by the government have empowered the people.
The Chief Minister said the Art and Culture of Mayurbhanj have a special identity in the entire country. The ST brothers and sisters of Mayurbhanj have a rich tradition and President Droupadi Murmu has taken it to a new height.
Mayurbhanj, he said, is a big and important district of the state and has a special contribution to the development of the state.
