Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Wednesday distributed Rs 386 crore special assistance to about 18 lakh landless farmers covered under Kalia scheme.
The assistance was transferred directly to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.
All the beneficiaries will get Rs 1,000 assistance for Covid-19 in addition to Kharif assistance under Kalia scheme.
Addressing the gathering, Naveen said that he was happy to provide the Chief Minister’s Covid assistance to 18 lakh landless farmer households in the state. The hard-working people including farmers, workers and labourers are the nucleus of the state economy.
“The sacrifice of all these people is the strength of our economy. The landless farmers are behind all the successes that the agriculture sector has achieved. We respect their sacrifices,” he said.
The state government has been demanding implementation of MS Swaminathan Committee recommendations and will continue to do so in future, Patnaik said.
“Farmers are our pride and glory. Therefore, the protection of the interests of the farmers has always been my priority,” he further said.
Stating that Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (Kalia) scheme has brought smiles on the faces of lakhs of farmers in the state, he said, “This is my favorite scheme.”
Economy has been severely affected due to prevailing Covid situation. It was agriculture that saved the economy during the first wave of the pandemic.
The second wave has affected people’s lives and livelihoods. That is why the state government has announced special Covid packages for various sections of people like farmers, labourers, street vendors, dairy farmers and others, he said.
Among others, Agriculture Minister Arun Sahoo, 5T secretary VK Pandian, Chief Secretary SC Mahapatra, agriculture production commissioner (APC) RK Sharma and agriculture secretary SK Vashishth attended the meeting. Farmers from all 30 districts also joined the event.
