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Bhubaneswar: During the winter session of the Assembly, Odisha government claimed that 68 per cent of agricultural land in the State is irrigated. However, the facts given by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics on the proportion of the total land irrigated in the State has stirred up a controversy.
As per the 2015-16 Agriculture Census of Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Odisha, published this month, only 27.25 per cent of agricultural land in the State is irrigated. However, contrary to the report, the Minister of State for Water Resources Raghunandan Das recently informed the Assembly that 68 per cent of agricultural land is irrigated.
Out of the total 43.29 lakh hectares net sown area, irrigation facilities were provided in a mere 11.79 lakh hectares of cultivable land which stands at 27.25 per cent. This means, 31.49 lakh hectares land, which is 72.75 per cent, remained un-irrigated, the data said. However, while submitting an 'old report' in the Assembly, Das said that 42.18 lakh hectares agricultural land has been irrigated.
Similarly, as per the report, out of the total 51.83 lakh hectares gross cropped area belonging to all social groups, agriculture is done in 43.29 lakh hectares land but the Minister put it at 61.80 lakh hectares.
"The block I belong to has only around 6 per cent irrigation facility and there are many such blocks. We need more time in this regard," said Das while speaking on the differences in the figures.
Meanwhile, the opposition parties in the State alleged that the Odisha government has failed to fulfil its election promise of providing irrigation facilities to at least 35 per cent of cultivable land in each block.
"It is surprising that only three per cent of farmland in Bolangir is irrigated. The figures of the government always vary. The average land irrigated in the State stands at only 27 per cent," alleged Congress MLA Santosh Singh Saluja.
"In Bolangir, only 3 per cent cultivable land comes under assured irrigation area. For mere political gains, the government is claiming that it has provided irrigation facilities to 70 per cent agricultural land," said BJP MLA Mukesh Mahaling.
