The government on Saturday released funds of Rs 600 crore more to Odisha after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Naveen Patnaik discussed the drought and water scarcity issue in parts of the state.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said Rs 600.52 crore had been released to the state under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) after adjustments of the state’s balances.
“This is in addition to the Rs 560.25 crore released as central share of the State Disaster Response Fund for 2015-16. Another Rs 294.375 crore has been released as first instalment of SDRF for 2016-17,” it said.
It said Odisha had made several efforts at water conservation, including construction of 25,000 farm ponds and 7,000 check dams.
Patnaik said Odisha had completed the district irrigation plans for all 30 districts as required under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana.
The two leaders also discussed the progress in agricultural schemes and banking extension facilities in rural areas of Odisha.