Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Majhi disbursed Rs 838.48 crore in financial assistance to over 41.68 lakh farmers under the CM-Kisan scheme on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya on Monday, providing timely support ahead of the Kharif sowing season.
The state-level “Akhi Muthi Anukula” (symbolic seed-sowing ritual) and Krushak Divas event was held at the Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI) in Cuttack, where the CM led traditional rituals including puja, yajna, and ceremonial sowing to mark the auspicious start of the agricultural cycle.
After performing bhumi puja on farmland adjacent to the CRRI campus and visiting the agriculture exhibition, the Chief Minister formally inaugurated ‘Ama Bihan Ratha’ and ‘Krishi Ratha’. The mobile seed-sale initiative will begin in the first phase across 31 blocks in 10 districts, making improved rice seed varieties available in 5-kg packets at the gram panchayat level.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister emphasised support for small, marginal, and landless farmers. “Rs 838.48 crore has already been credited directly to the bank accounts of 41,68,582 farmers for the 2026 Kharif season. Of these, 41,24,241 are small and marginal farmers, 41,049 belong to landless farmer families, and 3,292 are from tribal farmer families,” he said.
Majhi noted that the state’s agricultural growth rate has reached 5.3 per cent within just 22 months since the new government assumed office. “This year the state has achieved a new record by producing over 150 lakh metric tonnes of food grain,” he said, adding that the government is procuring paddy at Rs 3,100 per quintal.
During the 2025-26 Kharif season, 76.47 lakh metric tonnes of paddy was procured from 18,55,661 farmers, who were provided with an input assistance of Rs 5,589.98 crore.
He also highlighted the Krishi Vidyanidhi scholarship scheme, under which 68,910 students from farmer families have received more than Rs 291.60 crore for technical and professional education in the 2025-26 academic year. “The state government is vigorously promoting organic farming through Balabhadra Jaibik Chasa Mission and strengthening the Shri Anna Abhiyan to take Odisha’s traditional millets to the global stage. Farmers are the true charioteers in building a prosperous Odisha,” Majhi declared.
The CM credited the “double-engine” development model of the Centre and the State for accelerating progress in Odisha and thanked the Prime Minister for including four tribal districts — Kandhamal, Malkangiri, Sundargarh and Nuapada — under the PM Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojana launched in October last year.
Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo, who also holds the Agriculture portfolio, urged farmers to buy fertilisers only from authorised dealers using Aadhaar and OTP, insist on the POS machine slip, and use balanced fertilisers to protect the soil.
Cuttack MP Bhartruhari Mahtab, Jagatsinghpur MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai, Niali MLA Chhabi Mallick, Choudwar-Cuttack MLA Souvic Biswal, Banki MLA Devi Ranjan Tripathy, Cuttack Sadar MLA Prakash Chandra Sethy, Barabati-Cuttack MLA Sofia Firdous, and Mahanga MLA Sarada Prasad Pradhan attended the event. Cuttack Zilla Parishad Chairman Kishore Chandra Mishra, Agriculture Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Sachin Ramchandra Yadav, Cuttack Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde, and CRRI Director Dr G K Kumar were also present.
