Chhattisgarh the 26th state of the Indian Union came into existence on November 1,2000. The state is geographically situated between 17⁰46'N and 24⁰5 North Latitude and 80⁰15'E and 84⁰20' East Longitude. The total geographical area is around 137.90 lakh ha. of which cultivable land area is 46.77 lakh ha , forest land area is 63.53 lakh ha with more than 2.55 crore population. About 80 percent of the population in the state is engaged in agriculture and 43 percent of the entire arable land is under cultivation. Paddy is the principal crop and the central plains of Chhattisgarh are known as rice bowl of central India. Other major crops are coarse grains, wheat, maize, groundnut, pulses and oilseeds. The region is also suitable for growing mango, banana, guava & other fruits and a variety of vegetables   with 44 percent of its area under forests it has one of the richest bio-diversity areas in the country. It has abundant minor forest produce like Tendu leaves, Sal seed, etc. Medicinal plants, bamboo, lac and honey are other potential money earners for the state. Chhattisgarh has embarked on a concerted plan to increase double cropped areas, diversify the cropping pattern and improve incomes from agro-based small-scale enterprises. In order to unlock the true potential of agriculture sector in the state, government is paying special attention towards better management of its water resources. To reduce the farmers dependence on rainfall, government is working towards increasing the irrigation potential of the state. It is estimated that approximately 14.15 lakh hectares can be potentially irrigated covering 30 percent of the entire cropped area in the state. Ravi Shankar Sagar Mahanadi project, Hasdeo-Bango, Kodar and others are some of the important irrigation projects in the state..