BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has decided to sink 2,000 more borewells for extending irrigation facilities to cultivable land in Padampur sub-division of Bargarh district, one of the perennially drought-prone areas of Orissa. A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Secretariat here today. To increase the irrigation facilities in the area, the Chief Minister has directed officials to construct farm ponds and check dams also. Naveen underscored the need for increased utilisation of groundwater for farming in the region. The State Government has set a target to install 224 lift irrigation points in Padampur sub-division in 2010-11 besides the existing 266 such projects. Out of the 132 minor irrigation points in the sub-division, repair of 71 projects has been taken up. A target has been set to construct 66 check dams during the current financial year. Official sources said that Rs 9.65 crore will be spent in 2010-11 for different minor irrigation projects in the sub-division. The Chief Minister directed the officials that if necessary, more borewells should be sunk in the sub-division. Besides, a decision was taken to create 1,408 ponds under the natural resources management programme. Naveen directed that funds from the Gopabandhu Grameen Yojana and Western Orissa Development Council (WODC) besides the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) should be channelised to make the farm pond scheme extensive. He also reviewed the progress in the implementation of watershed programme, Aung irrigation project and other livelihood schemes in the sub-division. Among others, Minister for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Minority Welfare Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha, Chief Secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik, Additional Development Commissioner RN Senapati, Secretary in the Water Resources Department Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, Secretary in the Panchayati Raj Department SN Tripathy, Special Secretary in the Planning and Coordination Department RV Singh and senior officials attended the meeting.