Odisha government will disburse financial assistance to farmers under the Kalia scheme till March 31
Odisha government will disburse financial assistance to farmers under the Kalia scheme till March 31, state Finance Minister SB Behere has said.
"The state government will also take steps to include farmers who have been left out from the benefits of the Kalia scheme. The inclusion process will continue till March 31," Behera said on Monday.
Odisha Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S Kumar had on Sunday said the ongoing Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme would continue but the state government could not add more beneficiaries under it.
However, Behera claimed the state government will include the farmers who have been left out from the Kalia scheme.
He said about one to two per cent farmers of the state have been left out under the Kalia scheme and they will be included.
The Odisha government under the KALIA scheme provide financial assistance of Rs 10,000 per family (Rs 5,000 each for the Kharif and Rabi season) to small and marginal farmers for taking up cultivation.
Replying a question on the Centre's PM-KISAN scheme, Behera said, "Odisha government does not have clarity on why three to four lakh farmers have been excluded from the list that has been sent to the Centre for enrolment under the PM-KISAN Yojana."
He said the Centre should consider the states proposal to include economically weaker and landless farmers under the scheme.
"If all these issues are addressed, the state government will be able to cooperate with the Centre properly," Behera said replying on the BJP's allegation that the state government did not cooperate in the implementation of the PM-KISAN scheme.
BJP state vice-president Samir Mohanty alleged that the state government was afraid of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity if PM-KISAN is implemented.
"The Kalia scheme is an arrangement to make online transfers to party men ahead of the polls and influence the voters. This is another way of cheating farmers," Mohanty alleged.
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 "Kalia scheme cash transfer to continue till March 31: Odisha FM")
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