Why the Nabakrushna Choudhury Secha Unnayan Yojana is Failing Farmers in Odisha
Nabakrushna Choudhury Secha Unnayan Yojana: A Stalled Initiative
Jajpur: The Nabakrushna Choudhury Secha Unnayan Yojana (NCSUY), a significant irrigation initiative aimed at enhancing farmland irrigation in the state, has yet to take off, despite being announced over seven years ago. This project was approved by the state government on November 23, 2017, coinciding with the birth anniversary of former chief minister Nabakrushna Choudhury. Initially, an allocation of Rs 635 crore was designated for its rollout in the first three years, specifically targeting the Nabarangpur and Malkangiri districts. In April 2022, the government opted to broaden the scheme's scope to encompass the entire state, with the goal of revitalizing lost irrigation areas and creating new irrigation opportunities.
However, after more than seven years since its inception, the scheme's promises have largely remained unfulfilled, leading to growing discontent among farmers. The government had aimed to provide irrigation facilities to all agricultural lands in the state.
The program was designed to enhance irrigation capacity, maintain canals, develop crop calendars, ensure fair water distribution, and strengthen water user associations. Significant investments have been made annually to construct new irrigation channels, repair reservoirs, and improve management operations in Odisha.
Despite these efforts, many irrigation projects—whether major, medium, or minor—under the Water Resources department have become outdated, serving far less farmland than intended. From 2020–21 to 2024–25, the NCSUY proposed an expenditure of Rs 823.45 crore to restore 42,658 hectares of lost irrigated land and create additional irrigation potential over 7,442 hectares. However, complaints indicate that due to underutilization of the allocated funds, these goals have not been met. The government had intended to fully implement the scheme statewide. Official reports show a slight reduction of 1.99% and 3.4% in the gaps between Irrigation Potential Created (IPC) and Irrigation Potential Utilised (IPU), yet many irrigation projects continue to underperform.
To expand the irrigated area beyond its original capacity and close the gap between potential created and utilized, several projects have proposed expansion activities. Unfortunately, the benefits of the scheme have not reached farmers as expected. It is widely recognized that a nation's economy relies heavily on the development of its agricultural sector, prompting the state government to launch various initiatives to support farmers. However, local experts attribute the shortcomings of significant programs like NCSUY to administrative negligence.
In Jajpur district, many canal concrete-lining projects remain incomplete, preventing irrigation facilities from reaching the targeted agricultural lands. The district's Mega Lift Irrigation Project exemplifies this issue, as it was intended to provide irrigation over approximately 12,800 hectares across nine blocks, including Badachana, Bari, Dharmasala, Jajpur, and Rasulpur. Yet, none of these projects have become fully operational. As a result, farmers have voiced their disappointment regarding the lack of irrigation support during both the Kharif and Rabi seasons under the Mega Lift Irrigation initiative.