Cuttack, Jan. 27: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik has said that his government is working towards ensuring water supply to two lakh hectares of farmlands through mega lift irrigation projects within the next three years.

“Part of the ongoing projects for increasing irrigation facilities is under way and we will come up with 2,000 check dams over different rivers in the state,” the chief minister said in his address after unfurling the national flag on Republic Day at Barabati Stadium here yesterday.

Acknowledging that farmers in the state suffered loss due to drought last year followed by unseasonal rains in December, Naveen said his government had announced a special package for them and directed the district collectors to start disbursing compensation for the loss of their crops from February.

The CM said that agriculture has been a priority for his government. “But as industrialisation, along with development in agriculture, is essential for a fast pace of development in the state, industrial expansion has also been given priority,” he said.

“Numerous industries in the steel, aluminium and energy sector have come. More are to follow. Today steel production in the state has touched 15 million tonnes and Orissa is all set to become a steel hub in the near future,” the chief minister said in his nearly 30-minute address in Oriya.

Naveen regretted that left wing extremism was posing hindrances to the process of development. “I have appealed several times to the left wing extremists to return back to the mainstream. My government is ready to extend a helping hand,” he added.

Governor M.C. Bhandare unfurled at the state-level Republic Day parade at Bhubaneswar. He received salute from the NCC and civilian contingents from various schools and colleges of the capital city.

The Republic Day celebrations went peacefully across the state, despite a call by Maoists to boycott the celebrations.