Bhubaneswar: On the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya on Tuesday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik disbursed around Rs 800 crores for the farmers in the state under the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme.
“Excluding the KALIA beneficiaries from Jharsuguda district, 40 lakh small and marginal farmers in the state received Rs 2,000 each directly in their bank accounts as assistance for the Kharif season,” read a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
Joining the event through video conferencing this evening, the Odisha Chief Minister advised the farmers to invest this assistance money in farming activities for the development of agriculture.
“Farmers are the foundation of our economy…Our farmers have played an important role in food security not only in the state but across the country and have brought glory to Odisha,” the Chief Minister said thanking the farmers of the state.
Stressing that agricultural development and farmer welfare are the most important programs of the state government, the Chief Minister said that a budget of Rs 20,000 crore has been earmarked for agriculture this year.
On the occasion, eight new agricultural development programs were launched including Panasa Mission and REWARD (Rejuvenating Watershed for Agricultural Resilience through Innovative Development), Millet Mission, and Special Program for Promotion of Integrated Farming.
While Rs 97 crore has been earmarked for Jack Fruit farmers in nine districts of the state, Rs 500 crore has been earmarked under the REWARD scheme for increasing the productivity of the farmland through a watershed program with the application of scientific methods.
Similarly, under the Odisha Millet Mission Rs, 2,808 crores have been allocated for farmers in 182 blocks of 19 districts, while Rs 239 crore has been earmarked under the Special Program for Promotion of Integrated Farming for the inclusion of 1.8 lakh farming families in eight districts. Around Rs, 3,644 crores will be spent on these four schemes.
Emphasizing the importance of investment in agriculture, the Odisha CM said, “We will continue our efforts to make agriculture a profitable profession.”
On this occasion, the Chief Minister inaugurated a new portal for farmers ‘Krushak Odisha’. Through this portal, farmers can update their data to avail of necessary services and advice. He also launched the ‘GO SUGAM’ portal for farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs. With this, ‘GO SUGAM’ becomes the country’s first single-window platform for farmers.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between the International Food Policy Research Institute and the State Agriculture Department to formulate a realistic policy to increase farmers’ incomes in agriculture and allied sectors. The Chief Minister also unveiled a guide for farmers’ organizations for the empowerment of farmers.
On the occasion, State Agriculture Minister Arun Sahoo said that despite facing many natural disasters, Odisha has today taken the lead in agriculture due to the foresight and strong leadership of the Honorable Chief Minister. “Women are being given priority in the agriculture sector,” he said while highlighting the various agricultural initiatives of the state government.
Of the farmers who attended the event, Nirmal Nayak from Kalahandi, Baida Nayak from Balasore, and Menaka Bhoi from Sundargarh district shared their experiences on how their farming activities have improved due to the KALIA scheme. They can now easily buy fertilizers and seeds, etc for farming with this assistance money.
The event featured a video of the new scheme and the application of digital technology in agriculture. Mr. Sanjeev Chopra, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, delivered the welcome address. The Special Secretary of Agriculture Department offered the vote of thanks. Collectors of different districts and farmers were also present at the event.
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