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Labour-intensive works to be promoted

BHUBANESWAR: The government has decided to push for labour-intensive works in rural pockets to provide succour to labourers in case agricultural activities are severely affected due to erratic rainfall.

“Labour-intensive works will be taken up to overcome the current moisture stress,” Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said while emerging out of the high-level meeting convened here on Saturday to take stock of the situation arising out of deficit rainfall in several parts of the State.

Mr. Patnaik said district Collectors would be instructed to sanction Rs. 10,000 to repair defunct lift irrigation points for irrigating croplands.

“If the amount to be spent for repair of LI points crosses Rs. 10,000, the Special Relief Commissioner can be immediately contacted,” he said.

Later, Director of Agriculture Arabinda Padhee said funds required for labour-intensive programmes would be sourced from the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme.

“As on July 31, some 24.58 lakh hectares of paddy area have been covered as against 24.15 lakh hectares last year.

Similarly, 14.96 lakh hectares of different non-paddy crops have been covered as against 14.35 lakh hectares last year,” Mr. Padhee said.

Significantly, 6.5 lakh hectares of paddy had been transplanted as against 5.60 lakh hectares for which heavy rain was needed within couple of days.

Meanwhile, the government identified Malakangiri and Puri districts as places where rain was scanty during the month of July.

Rainfall was recorded to be highly deficient in as many as eight districts during the same period.

The Agriculture Director said the government had already initiated spraying operations in Nabarangpur, Koraput, Kalahandi and Keonjhar, where pest attacks in croplands had been noticed.

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