Odisha Increases KALIA Scheme’s Target Beneficiaries to 5 Lakh

Odisha has decided to increase the number of target beneficiary for farmers’ welfare scheme ‘KALIA’ for the landless agricultural household group to five lakh during 2019-20.

A proposal to this effect was approved by a cabinet meeting headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Chief Secretary, A P Padhi said, “Although previously it was decided to limit the number of beneficiaries under landless agricultural households to 1 lakh, now it has been decided to increase it to five lakh during the FY 2019-20”.

Rs 12,500 will be given to each beneficiary household under the landless agricultural category in the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme.

Chief Secretary further said each beneficiary will be given Rs 5,000 in the first tranche and the balance will be paid later in two more tranches. He told that it has been decided to take in all eligible beneficiaries to get help under the KALIA scheme.

Padhi said the landless agricultural families will be given a small goat rearing unit or fishery kit or bee keeping and mushroom cultivation units based on their choice.

It must be noted that the KALIA scheme has 5 components i.e. support to growers for cultivation, income support for landless agricultural labourers, life insurance support for farmers and landless agricultural labourers, financial help to helpless agricultural families and interest free crop loan.

In the meantime, the Odisha government has transferred the 1st tranche of Rs 5,000 to around 13 lakh small and marginal farmers and share croppers as support to grower, informed the secretary.

So as to provide conviction to the farmers on the time of receipt of funds, state government has decided that the Kharif assistance will be given on ‘Akshaya Tritiya’ day while the Rabi assistance on Nuakhai’ festival every year to the small and marginal farmers under this scheme, Padhi told.

He also said, “This will give them sufficient time to use this help for purchase of inputs and for making the required investments in the farm operations based on their needs”.