Bhubaneswar : Ruling BJD Saturday approached the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Odisha urging him not to impose any restriction on transfer of benefits to farmers under KALIA scheme.
A BJD delegation met CEO Surendra Kumar at his office and submitted a memorandum in this regard.
BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra alleged that BJP is trying to pressurise on the Election Commission (EC) to stall the process of transfer of benefits to farmers under KALIA scheme. Therefore, the BJD requested the CEO not to stop the scheme as it is an ongoing scheme and beneficiaries have already been identified.
The installments of KALIA Yojana have to be given to 37 lakh farmers. Over Rs 1500 crore has already been given away, he said.
“It has come to our notice that the BJP has been trying to pressurise the EC with an intention to stop the flow of KALIA funds to the farmers of the state…..The BJP should not be allowed to succeed in its design to stop the KALIA assistance to farmers due on April 1, 2019,” the BJD said in memorandum.
Reacting on this issue, state BJP vice president Sameer Mohanty said, “We have examined it. Had the scheme benefitted the small and marginal farmers, there wouldn’t have any problem. It is like sheer bribe for vote through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), which is a violation of the model code of conduct (MCC).”
The BJP, meanwhile, requested the CEO to instruct Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) to pay for the amount spent on hoardings, which were removed on grounds of violation of MCC.
“Soon after the BJD’s complaint about display of illegal hoardings, the officials of the civic bodies have removed the hoardings put up by the BJP not by the Union government. This is totally illegal and the two corporations should pay the amount to us,” BJP leader Mohanty demanded.
