Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik extended Rs 877 crore KALIA assistance to farmers of of the state on the occasion of Utkal Divas on Saturday.
The assistance was provided for the agricultural activitires undertaken in the current Kharif season.
Farmers from all regions of the state except Jharsuguda district received this assistance. More than 43 lakh farmer families have been given assistance to the tune of Rs 877 crore through their bank accounts, official sources said.
Congratulating the farmers on the occasion of Utkala Divas, the Chief Minister said the development of the state is closely linked with the welfare of the farmers. “Therefore, we started the new financial year by providing this assistance on this auspicious day,” he said.
Stating that Odisha is now self-reliant in the production of food grains, Naveen said it is able to provide food to the country’s food reserves, credit of which goes to lakhs of farmers of the state.
Noting that the state government has taken a host of steps for the improvement of agriculture, the Chief Minister advised farmers to use more machines and modern equipment to enhance farm productivity.
Stressing that the state government is implementing several grain-based missions to boost the production of nutritious food in the state and increase the farmers’ income, Naveen advised the farmers to focus on crop diversification.
Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain said KALIA Yojana has made the farmers self-reliant and given a boost to their morale.
On this occasion, some farmers – Gopinath Pangi of Malkangari, Sulochana Nayak of Pipili, Deepanjali of Bargarh spoke about how KALIA has brought changes in their lives.
