Bhubaneswar: Odisha government has paid Rs 2,000 to each beneficiary farmer under its Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme on the occasion of Nuakhai festival.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday distributed the funds at a function through video-conferencing. The financial assistance was deposited in bank account of each of 44.56 lakh farmers in the state.
As many as 43,88,000 small and marginal farmers and 68,750 landless farmers would benefit from the assistance.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said the farmers are pride of Odisha. “I want every farmer to lead a life of respect and dignity by participating in the development of the state. The government has already paid Rs 12,500 crore as financial assistance under the KALIA scheme so far,” he said.
Stating that the government has implemented several schemes for the welfare of the farmers, Naveen said it has been paying premium of crop insurance. More than 22 lakh farmers have already registered for crop insurance this year, he added.
Agriculture Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain also spoke on the occasion. Development commissioner Anu Garg, secretary, Cooperative department Arabinda Aggarwal, Principal Secretary and Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment department Arabinda Padhee were also present while 5(T) secretary VK Pandian coordinated the programme.
