[Letter to Mr Minoo Masani]

Summary

In this letter dated 25 February 1968, R. B. Mishra, Orissa’s Minister for Community Development and Panchayati Raj, Agriculture and Labour, asks Minoo Masani to help secure central support for irrigation and power projects in the state. Mishra argues that Orissa possesses abundant natural resources but remains poor because its rivers and other assets are not being adequately utilised. He presents dam construction as a means of generating electricity, expanding irrigation, and improving agricultural production.

The letter focuses particularly on the incomplete Salandi River Project in Keonjhar district, on which the state government had reportedly spent about Rs. 14 crores. Mishra states that the project could irrigate five lakh acres during the Kharif season and two lakh acres during Rabi in Keonjhar and Balasore. He also refers to Dr. K. L. Rao’s proposal for connecting a barrage at Anandpur with Bidyadharपुर and urges Masani to persuade the Ministries of Irrigation and Power and Finance, as well as the Planning Commission, to assist with early completion. The letter claims that the project could yield approximately Rs. 30 crores in additional grain annually.

Key points

• Mishra attributes Orissa’s persistent poverty partly to the under-utilisation of its abundant natural resources.
• He identifies river water as a major underused asset and advocates dam construction for electricity generation and irrigation.
• The Salandi River Project in Keonjhar district is described as incomplete despite state expenditure of about Rs. 14 crores.
• The project is projected to irrigate five lakh acres in Kharif and two lakh acres in Rabi across Keonjhar and Balasore.
• Mishra cites Dr. K. L. Rao’s proposal for connecting a barrage at Anandpur with Bidyadharpur.
• He asks Masani to mobilise the Irrigation and Power Ministry, Finance Ministry, and Planning Commission.
• The letter estimates that completing the project could produce additional grain worth about Rs. 30 crores per year.