Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced today that an amount of Rs.920 crore has been disbursed under the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme for the benefit of farmers and landless agricultural labourers of the State.
Making the announcement on the eve of Akshaya Tritiya, Patnaik said that the financial assistance has been deposited in the bank accounts of 42 lakh farming families for Kharif 2021. Akshaya Tritiya marks the beginning of the agricultural cycle in Odisha.
“We are now facing the second wave of COVID infections. Lockdown is underway to control the infection. But there is no lockdown for the agricultural sector,” he said, urging the farmers to continue agricultural activities while adhering to COVID-19 guidelines.
The KALIA scheme, launched by the State government in December 2018, benefits cultivators, farmers, sharecroppers and landless agricultural labourers of the State. Patnaik had rolled out the first tranche of funds to beneficiary farmers under the scheme at a rally held in Puri in January 2019.
Arun Kumar Sahoo, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, highlighted how the KALIA scheme has been beneficial for farming families during the pandemic.
Asit Tripathy, Chairman, West Odisha Development Council, and Principal Adviser to the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra and other senior officials took part in the programme through video-conferencing when Patnaik made the announcement.
