Bhubaneswar: Odisha govt has sanctioned Rs 20 crore to upgrade Water and Land Management Institute (WALMI) as a Centre of Excellence (CoE).According to an official statement on Wednesday, the project will be carried out during the 2026-27 and 2027-28 financial years. The plan aims to modernise the institute’s infrastructure, enhance technical capacity and encourage scientific methods for sustainable water management.As part of the proposed upgrade, the institute will get smart digital classrooms, advanced training facilities, better residential accommodation, renovated hostels, an auditorium and conference facilities. Officials said these additions will support higher-level training, research and knowledge exchange.The initiative will also focus on skill development for engineers in the water resources department, which has a sanctioned strength of 5,235 engineering posts. New induction programmes for newly appointed engineers and specialised training modules will be introduced in subjects such as advanced irrigation methods, flood management, water-use efficiency and climate resilience.WALMI will further improve its research and knowledge-sharing activities through partnerships with leading institutions such as IISc Bengaluru, IIT Roorkee, IIT Madras, IIT Guwahati, NIOT Chennai and the Bureau of Indian Standards.The programme will also provide capacity-building support to over 41,000 Pani Panchayats across Odisha. Training will cover participatory irrigation management, water budgeting and fair distribution of resources. Govt said the move will strengthen grassroots-level institutions, encourage efficient water use and enable farming communities to play a stronger role in local water management.