Bhubaneswar: Around 25 lakh farmers of Odisha will get the first instalment of financial benefit under the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme after Naveen Patnaik’s swearing-in for the fifth consecutive term.
On the same day of the swearing-in ceremony, scheduled to be held at the IDCO Exhibition Ground here on May 29, Naveen will distribute the amount to beneficiaries at a special programme at the State Secretariat.
While 6-7 lakh farmers will receive financial assistance on the very day through direct benefit transfer, the rest will get the same within the next two days.
Naveen, during his election campaigns across the state, had promised to provide financial assistance to eligible farmers on the first day of the formation of BJD government in the state in 2019.
Around 42 lakh farmers had earlier received the first instalment of financial assistance under the scheme. Later, the amount could not be given to the rest of the beneficiaries as the Model Code of Conduct came into force in the state for the elections.
Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment and Cooperation Department have initiated necessary preparations for the transfer of the amount to the bank account of the rest of farmers. The preparations were reviewed at a meeting at the State Secretariat chaired by the Chief Secretary.
The date for disbursement of the second installment of financial assistance under KALIA is yet to be declared.
The KALIA scheme aims to provide an annual financial assistance of Rs 10,000 per household for sustenance of those farmers who may not be able to take up cultivation or avail livelihood options due to old-age, disability, disease or other reasons. The landless farm labourers can also avail the benefits.
Deserving families will be identified and selected by Gram Panchayats. The state has targeted coverage of 10 lakh households in two years at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore.
A life insurance coverage of
Rs 2 lakh will be provided and an additional personal accident coverage of Rs 2 lakh will be given to cultivators and landless agricultural labourers benefitting 57 lakh households.
Under KALIA, an amount of Rs 10,180 crore will be spent over a period of three years till 2020-21. The scheme will be reviewed in 2020-21 for further modifications.
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