For the first time in Odisha, sensor-based Internet of Things (IoT) devices integrated with a mobile application have been successfully piloted in Lift Irrigation Projects in the state to optimise the use of inputs like water, timely irrigation, and collect sufficient information about the weather to help farmers take informed decisions, State’s Development Commissioner Anu Garg said.

Garg, while presiding over the 210th Board Meeting of the Odisha Lift Irrigation Corporation (OLIC), said “this innovative initiative enables real-time monitoring and efficient management of water delivery, marking a significant step towards smart irrigation practices in the State”.

By combining advanced technology solutions with sustainable irrigation infrastructure, OLIC is determined to empower farmers, enhance resilience to climate challenges and drive the overall growth and prosperity of rural Odisha, she further said.

The State Government’s vision for lift irrigation focuses on ensuring water security, enhancing agricultural productivity, and improving equitable access to irrigation, particularly in upland and drought-prone regions where traditional canal systems are not feasible, she reiterated.

The State also aims to transform agriculture by providing assured, year-round irrigation across vast cultivable areas, thereby stabilizing farm incomes and strengthening the socio-economic condition of rural communities.

Through accelerated implementation of irrigation programmes, the Lift Irrigation Corporation has created an irrigation potential of 16.51 lakh hectares, benefitting more than 15 lakh farmer families across the State during the 2024-25 fiscal.

A major achievement in this period is the expansion of solar-powered deep bore wells. Already, 3,328 installations have been completed, providing irrigation facilities to nearly 0.17 lakh hectares of farmland. By December 2025, an additional 9,000 such installations are targeted, which will increase the number of beneficiary farmers to around 35,000, claimed officials.

This shift toward renewable-energy-based irrigation reflects OLIC’s strong commitment to sustainable and environmentally responsible agricultural development, they added.

Farmers in several districts, like Mayurbhanj, are increasingly adopting diversified cropping such as strawberries, sunflowers and mushrooms, which has directly contributed to socio economic upliftment.

Citing examples of economic empowerment of farmers, they said “In Shyamakhunta Block of Mayurbhanj district, farmers under the Tarajodi-III Community Lift Irrigation Project successfully cultivated strawberries in 10 hectares of ayacut, earning an income of Rs 40 lakh”.