Bhubaneswar, Apr 30 (Reporter) Odisha has set a target to provide irrigation to 15 lakh hectares of land over the next five years, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced. Addressing the State-level Farmers' Day celebrations organized on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, the Chief Minister said that Rs 1,025 crore has been disbursed as assistance under the CM Kisan Yojana. This financial assistance , he said will benefit 50,16,938 small and marginal farmers, 49,482 landless farming families, and 2,382 tribal farming families in the state for the 2025 Kharif crop season. Majhi expressed hope that this advance assistance would help farmers in their agricultural activities. The Chief Minister noted that at the time of independence, India struggled to feed its population of around 33 crore. Today, however, India is among the leading exporters of agricultural and allied products. He credited the transformation in agriculture and farmer welfare to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who assumed office in 2014. Majhi appreciated the hard work of Odisha’s farmers, acknowledging their role in transforming the state from a grain-deficit region to a grain-surplus one and urged farmers to adopt climate-resilient agricultural practices. The Chief Minister added that an investment of approximately Rs 1 lakh crore would be made to achieve the irrigation target of 15 lakh hectares in the next five years. Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Empowerment, K V Singh Deo, remarked that Akshaya Tritiya is an auspicious day when farmers begin their agricultural activities. He thanked the Chief Minister for providing advance assistance to the farmers of the state...////...