Bhubaneswar: Farmers of Odisha on Friday, submitted a memorandum to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora to release the financial assistance under KALIA scheme.
In the memorandum, the farmers said, “Despite several measures since Independence, we had not witnessed such a revolutionary programme for farmers like the KALIA Yojana.”
“Lakhs of farmers across Odisha have benefitted from the KALIA Yojana. This has had a huge impact on the agricultural development of Odisha. We are extremely happy with the KALIA Yojana,” they said.
They also said, “We were happily getting ready for the upcoming Kharif season when the bad news about stopping of KALIA funds hit us. The CEO under political pressure, has stopped KALIA funds flow to about 25 lakh beneficiaries whose names were already put up at the gram panchayat office much before the Model Code of Conduct for elections came into force.”
“It is extremely unfortunate that while we farmers give our sweat and blood to the nation through our produce, our rightful demands for allowing benefits to 25 lakh farmers has still not seen the light of the day,” they said.
The farmers demanded that the Election Commission of India intervene immediately in the matter and ensure that the KALIA Yojana funds are received by the beneficiaries at the earliest.
They said, “We hope that instead of being pressurised by a political party, appropriate action will be undertaken to enable fund flow from KALIA Yojana to the farmers who are getting ready for the Kharif season.”
