: National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned assistance worth Rs.280.92 crore to Odisha Government for taking up rural infrastructure projects including irrigation and flood control structures.
Besides, the bank has sanctioned Rs. 21.95 crore towards construction of 41 godowns and warehouses of capacities 300 metric tonnes to 1,000 metric tonnes in 10 districts of Odisha under Warehouse Infrastructure Fund (WIF).
These projects envisage creation of additional storage capacity of 17,300 MT, which could be used in storage of agriculture produces.
With this, NABARD assistance during the current year has gone up to Rs. 2,265.13 crore for creation of infrastructure in various sectors such as irrigation, rural connectivity (roads and bridges), fisheries and animal husbandry.
NABARD sources said the present sanction included 31 flood protection-cum-irrigation system improvement projects involving assistance of Rs.229.50 crore and 5,124 minor irrigation projects (5,000-bore well, 79 river lift, 45- tube wells) worth Rs. 51.42 crore. These irrigation projects envisage creation of irrigation potential of 79,422 ha of land in Odisha, the bank said.
According to NABARD, cumulatively since inception of Rural Infrastructure Development Fund, the bank has sanctioned Rs.11,608 crore to the State for implementing more than 1.97 lakh projects.