As many as 106 Junior Engineers (Mechanical) joined Water Resources Department, the Odisha Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said on Tuesday.
All of them have been recruited through State Staff Selection Commission.
Welcoming the new engineers on virtual platform, the Chief Minister asked them to get themselves acquainted with new technologies.
He said, "Being technocrats, I expect all of you to be in sync with changing and new technologies that can bring efficiency and transparency to your work. That will help achieve the mandate of our 5T initiative of the state."
He said that the Water Resources Department has taken up construction of 30 In-stream Storage Structures and 16 more are in the pipeline located across different rivers.
These structures will not only help in conserving surface water for different purposes including rural water supply but also enhance the groundwater level, he added.
Saying that Odisha is primarily an agrarian state, he stated that this department has a major responsibility of providing irrigation facilities to the farmers. Apart from this, he said, it is also responsible to protect the life and property of people from natural calamities like floods with scientific management of reservoir waters.
"We have more than two thousand five hundred dams and construction of some more dams like Lower Suktel, Deo, Kanpur and Ghatkeswar are in progress," he said further.
Focussing on the value of water resources, he said that with an ever-growing population, water is increasingly becoming a scarce resource. In this context, engineers of the Water Resources Department have to play a major role in the conservation of water for different purposes like drinking water, irrigation, hydroelectric power, industry, Pisciculture and ecological balance, he stressed on the significant role of engineers for the state's development.
Highlighting the role of mechanical engineers, he said that though the civil construction works are done by Civil Engineers, Mechanical Engineers have a greater role for the installation of one of the important components of the hydraulic structures such as gate works including their operation and maintenance.
Highlighting the achievements of her department Water Resources Minister Tukuni Sahu said the Chief Minister has always given priority to the empowerment of women. The newly recruited engineers must try their best to bring the benefits of the state's initiatives to people's doorsteps, she advised.
Chief Secretary Suresh Mohapatra advised the engineers to work with commitment and transparency.
Sharing their experiences, newly recruited engineers Krshna Priyadarshini, Anjali Parida and Arjun Das appreciated the transparency in the recruitment system and computer-based choice locking system for posting.
Interacting with the new recruits, Secretary to CM (5T) VK Pandian advised the engineers to have complete trust on their own merit. As they have come through purely a merit-based recruitment process, they should work without any fear or favour.
( With inputs from ANI )
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