Naveen Patnaik Direct transfers Rs. 920 Crs to Bank Accounts of farmers under “Kalia” Scheme
Bureau,Odishabarta
Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday said his Government, as part of its flagship KALIA scheme, has transferred Rs 920 crore to the bank accounts of 42 lakh farmers. Noting that the ‘Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation’ (KALIA) programme was launched by his Government to boost farming activities, he said the initiative has brought back smiles on the faces of cultivators, especially those burdened by debts.
Wishing the farmers’ community well on the eve of Akshaya Tritiya, Naveen said, “They are our pride and glory. I hope that the small, marginal and landless cultivators in the State make proper use of the money for growing crops and in developing their livelihood.”
All farming activities have been exempted from the purview of the Statewide lockdown, which is in force, he said, adding that the cultivators should adhere to COVID-19 norms.
During the Covid pandemic last year, he said the farmers have strengthened the economy, adding that no one could pay the price of the sacrifice of the farmers.
The Chief Minister said he has been working and will work to ensure that “farmers of the State live well, their income increased and their family prosper.”
He appealed to the farmers to continue the agricultural activities by following all Covid protocols and take advantage of various agricultural development schemes of the Government. The Chief Minister prayed to Lord Jagannath for good weather conditions, good crop and development of the families of farmers and urged all people to strictly observe Covid guidelines.
Meanwhile, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday urged the Chief Minister to initiate steps to ensure that all farmers registered under the PM Kisan Scheme in Odisha should get the benefit of the scheme.
Pradhan said though 40,50,103 farmers have been registered under the PM Kisan Scheme in Odisha, 24,70,671 farmers had received the assistance of Rs 494.13 crore under it in the seventh instalment. The Union Minister said after he drew the attention of the Chief Minister in March last, about 27,83,209 farmers got the benefit from the scheme in the eighth instalment.
Pradhan’s request came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi released Rs 20,667 crore assistance to 9.5 crore farmers of the country under the eighth instalment of PM Kisan scheme on Friday. Under the scheme, Rs 556.64 crore was directly transferred to the accounts of 27.83 lakh farmers of Odisha.
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