Bhubaneswar, February 14 The Odisha Cabinet on Saturday approved three tenders worth over Rs 358 crore for water distribution under the Integrated Anandpur Barrage Project (IABP), which aims to provide irrigation to around 15,765 hectares of agricultural land in the Balasore and Keonjhar districts.
The tenders were approved at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
"The Cabinet today approved three separate tenders worth Rs 105 crore, Rs 107 crore, and Rs 146 crore for water distribution under IABP," Chief Secretary Anu Garg told reporters after the meeting.
She said the IABP is a major irrigation project on the Baitarani River, which will benefit 60,000 hectares of agricultural land in the two districts.
"While 3,000 hectares of cultivable command area has already been covered through open canal systems, the remaining 57,000 hectares will now be irrigated via underground gravity flow pipelines to overcome land acquisition delays," Garg said.
The 57,000-hectare distribution system has been divided into nine packages, of which three have been cleared for tendering.
The project is targeted to be completed within 24 months.
The Cabinet also approved a proposal of the labour and ESI department for framing the Odisha Employees State Insurance Scheme Radiographer Service (Methods of Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 2026, paving the way for a structured and regulated framework for radiographers serving under the state’s ESI system, Garg said.