Odisha has asked the Union Jal Shakti Ministry to keep the Repair, Renovation and Restoration of Water Bodies scheme alive until March 2027 and to release the remaining Rs 23 crore in central aid so unfinished works can be closed.
Principal Secretary, Water Resources, Shubha Sarma has written to the Central Water Commission’s Monitoring and Appraisal Director with both requests. The state says practical delays mean the last batch of tanks will not be ready by the present deadline of March 2026.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana – Har Khet Ko Pani component, New Delhi cleared restoration of 574 tanks in Odisha in October 2022. The estimated cost was Rs 539.49 crore, shared 60:40 between the Centre and the state. The original completion date of March 2025 was later moved to March 2026.
Work has begun on 563 tanks. Of those, 501 are finished; the rest are at different stages of construction. A report from the Chief Engineer, Minor Irrigation, cites field constraints that prevented closure even after the first extension.
For 2026-27 the state has provided ₹50 crore in its budget — Rs 30 crore as the central share and Rs 20 crore as its own. On 31 March 2026 the Centre released only Rs 7 crore against that year’s requirement. Odisha now wants the balance Rs 23 crore released at once.
The 574 tanks, all in general areas, are meant to bring back irrigation on 38,470 hectares that had lost command and to restore 106.800 million cubic metres of storage. Officials say one extra year plus the pending grant would let the leftover projects move faster.
