BJD MLA In Odisha Hints At Merger Of KALIA Yojana With PM-Kisan Scheme

Bhubaneswar: BJD MLA Prashant Muduli on Wednesday favoured merging Odisha Government’s flagship KALIA Yojana with the Centre’s PM Kisan scheme.

Talking to mediapersons here, Muduli said there was nothing “illogical” in merging both the schemes as they are managed for the welfare of the farming communities.

“The PM Kisan scheme has come after the implementation of Kalia Yojana. There is no harm in merging both the schemes as both benefit farmers. The merger will also bring transparency in the implementation process,” he said.

Muduli’s comments come against the backdrop of some reports suggesting that the State Agriculture Department was finalising a merger proposal. Senior officials of the state government are believed to have held discussions with the Agriculture Ministry in this regard.

Significantly though both the BJD government and the ruling BJP government at the Centre had crossed swords in the run-up to the general elections over the implementation of the schemes. The Centre had also accused the BJD dispensation of non-cooperation in implementing the PM-Kisan scheme.

KALIA Yojana was implemented by the Naveen Patnaik government in December last year, providing financial assistance of Rs 5000 per crop to small, marginal farmers and landless agricultural labourers. The PM-Kisan scheme was announced in February this year. It too provides Rs 6000 to the farmers annually, in three installments.

The state BJP unit described such moves as a “political stunt”. Party spokesperson Golak Mohapatra accused the Naveen Patnaik government of being insensitive towards the cause of the farmers. He said the government was interested in vote bank politics. He also maintained that the BJD government had failed to provide the list of beneficiaries to the Centre for implementing the PM-Kisan scheme.

In February this year, the then Chandrababu Naidu government had also merged its Annadatha Sukhibhava scheme with the PM-Kisan scheme, making it a poll plank ahead of the elections.