BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has decided to strengthen institutional framework for providing multi-disciplinary support to pani panchayats (water users’ association) under Participatory Irrigation Management Scheme. While the Government is extending financial support to pani panchayats and a separate directorate is functioning in the Water Resources Department to monitor command area development (CAD) programmes and pani panchayats, there is no institutional support mechanism at the field level. The decision to provide institutional support to the pani panchayats on the lines of Watershed Mission was taken at a high- level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary BK Patnaik here recently. A team comprising subject-matter specialists on agriculture and allied activities, including marketing of agricultural produce, and community representatives will extend necessary assistance to the pani panchayats on formulation of action plan for water management and agricultural operations. The basic objective is to maximise agriculture production through better water management, said Water Resources Additional Secretary and Director of Command Area Development Agency (CADA) Usha Padhi. While the aim of pani panchayats is to use water efficiently through promotion of inter-cropping and diversified agricultural activities, the Chief Secretary said this would be possible if the Water Resources and Agriculture departments work hand-in-hand at the ground level. The pani panchayats need hand-holding support from the Government for efficient irrigation management, he added. Both the departments were asked to plan for multi-crop model and set up village level institutional framework to support the pani panchayats. Water Resource Department was asked to make scientific assessment of the present use of water, its contribution to productivity and set definite target to scale it up in the ensuing three years. The infrastructure and institutional arrangements should be planned to achieve that target. The Chief Secretary emphasised on farm mechanisation through pani panchayat development teams (PPDT) by engaging experts from the field. The State has 2,410 pani panchayats in major and medium irrigation project areas, 1,883 in minor irrigation project areas and 15,022 in lift irrigation circles. In addition, 117 distributory committees and 43 project committees have been formed to facilitate water distribution to pani panchayats. The members of pani panchayats have also been provided training through Water and Land Management Institute (WALMI), and MGNREGS support has been provided to them for canal works. Exposure visits in and outside Orissa have been organised and best performing pani panchayats are given financial incentive for construction of office building.
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