Puri: Krushak assistance for livelihood income augmentation (KALIA) yojana introduced by the state government is unique in nature and has shown a new way to rest of the country, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said Wednesday.
Addressing farmers and members of women Self Help Groups (SHGs), Patnaik said the second phase of assistance under KALIA would be released for 10 lakh farmers February 22.
Patnaik said it is a comprehensive scheme beneficial to farmers, sharecroppers, nominal farmers, small farmers and farm labourers and stakeholders in agriculture sector.
The state government would extend all assistance to wards of the farmers covered under the scheme to pursue higher education and work for the upliftment of farmers at large.
The Chief Minister, who was on a whirlwind tour of Satyabadi and Brahmagiri Assembly constituencies, inaugurated and laid foundation stones for several projects worth `882 crore, handed over seed money to women SHGs and addressed public rallies at two places.
In Jankia Gadasahi Patnaik laid the foundation stone at a festival ground under Satyabadi constituency and inaugurated several projects worth `251.45 core. He also laid foundation stone for a mega drinking water project for villages under Kanas, Brahmagiri and Satyabadi blocks at an estimated cost of `203 crore.
Patnaik handed over `15, 000 each to 186 women SHGs and distributed hearing aid for differently-abled persons.
The Chief Minister inaugurated eight projects under the Brahmagiri and Krushna Prasad blocks worth `267 crore and laid stone for drinking water projects in 99 villages under the two blocks at a cost of `161 crore.
