Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday announced that the state government is taking a host of measures for the welfare of kendu leaf workers.
Making the announcement in the Assembly, the Chief Minister said that government will provide a benefit of Rs 52.63 crore at a rate of 25% to 8,59,449 kendu leaf pluckers for the 2024 kendu leaf crop year. Around, 83.92% of the beneficiaries are women, he said.
This apart, the state government will also provide incentives to cotton harvesters. An amount of Rs. 1.94 crore at a rate of 5% will be given to 20,502 cotton harvesters, and Rs. 4.99 crore at a rate of 5% to 16,754 cotton harvesters.
The benefits will be directly transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system. To implement the Chief Minister’s Mukhyamantri Kendu Patra Tolali Yojana successfully, a provision of Rs. 50.00 crore has been made through the “Mukhyamantri Kendu leaf Welfare Fund” in the financial year 2024-25.
