Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today disbursed Rs 742.58 crore to 37,12,914 small and marginal farming families in Odisha under the KALIA Yojana for the Rabi crop. Each eligible beneficiary received Rs 2,000 in their bank account.
Disbursing the financial assistance under the state’s flagship scheme on the auspicious occasion of Nuakhai festival, Chief Minister said that “problems of farmers are problems for all of us and also the entire state.
“The farmers’ problems can never be ignored,” said the Odisha CM and added that he is in touch with the Centre pertaining to the issue of fertilizer shortage in the state.
“The issues of MSP and crop insurance are also being brought to the attention of the central government,” Naveen said. “The government is always with the farmers,” he added.
Highlighting the low rainfall in the state this year, the Chief Minister said there was less rain in August. He hoped that the situation would improve as rainfall activity is continuing.
“The government is monitoring the situation,” he said. The Chief Minister also advised the farmers to work on the advice of the Department of Agriculture.
Initially, the Chief Minister congratulated the farmers on Nuakhai and said that Nuakhai is the festival of Mother Earth and the farmers are the biggest priests.
The Chief Minister said that the KALIA Yojana is the best scheme in the country for the welfare of farmers. Odisha is the only state in the country to provide assistance to landless farmers. Lakhs of small farmers are benefiting from the KALIA scheme. The Chief Minister said that since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, the state government has provided more than Rs 3,200 crore to the farmers under the scheme.
Joining the program from Nayagarh, Agriculture Minister Arun Sahu highlighted the government’s various agricultural development programs and said that the KALIA program has been a boon for the farming community.
Joining the program, Makaradhwaj Mendali of Sambalpur, Lasima Bishwal of Bargarh, Rajkumar Pradhan, and Paramananda Majhi of Bolangir praised the KALIA scheme and said that it was no longer necessary to borrow money from private lenders
The Secretary to Odisha Chief Minister & 5T, VK Pandian moderated the programme.
Agriculture Secretary SK Basishtha delivered the welcome address and the Director of the Department thanked the participants.
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