Bhubaneswar: On the eve of the launch of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to enhance the scale of assistance under the scheme to Rs 10,000 per annum and bring landless agriculture labourers under its ambit.
In a letter to PM Modi on Saturday, Naveen in particular highlighted landless labourers who have been left out of the scheme, saying such workers at the bottom of the agriculture economy pyramid deservs special care and attention.
“I would earnestly request you to kindly consider enhancing the scale of assistance to at least Rs 10,000 per annum per family and also include landless agricultural labourers, share croppers and vulnerable agricultural households under the PM-Kisan scheme,” Naveen said.
He also reminded the PM about his earlier letter sent on February 11, 2019, drawing his attention to add the landless farmers to address rural poverty and achieving rural prosperity.
In his two page letter on Saturday, the CM highlighted the provisions of the Odisha’s KALIA scheme. He said that 30.40 lakh agriculture households have been provided cash assistance of Rs 5,000 including 3.10 lakh landless households and 58000 share croppers.
“We are committed to assist all eligible beneficiaries under the progressive scheme of ours,” he underscored.
The CM in recent weeks at various events have been demanding that the assured income support of Rs 6,000 per annum under the PM-Kisan scheme be brought on par with the KALIA scheme. The latter provides annual financial assistance of Rs 10,000 for every small and marginal farmer in two installments of Rs 5,000 each during Kharif and Rabi season.
His letter to the PM comes a day before Modi is scheduled to launch the PM-Kisan scheme in Uttar Pradesh. It proposes to transfer Rs 6,000 in three installments of Rs 2000 each to farmers with land up to two hectares.
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