KALIA centre to come up in each district of Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The state government will open a KALIA centre in each district of Odisha.

The centre will encourage innovation in agriculture and serve as one stop resource centre for farmers, said Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain today.

The centre will be equipped with adequate technical manpower to resolve issues of farmers related to different agricultural programmes/ activities like MKUY, SAFAL, GO SUGAM, Krushak Odisha and KALIA, he added.

“One nodal officer from the office of the Chief District Agriculture Officer (CDAO) will monitor the day-to-day functioning of the KALIA centre,” said the Minister.

Agriculture department Principal Secretary Arabinda Padhee has written to all Collectors to arrange a suitable building in and around District Head Quarters for functioning of the KALIA Centre, sources said.

The Odisha government introduced Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme in 2018 to provide support to small, marginal farmers and landless agricultural households in the state.

KALIA scheme of Odisha is perhaps the first Universal Basic Income (UBI) initiative of the country.  The scheme has been universally acclaimed not only for its conceptualization but also for its implementation. A unique aspect of the scheme has been the inclusion of landless agricultural households and sharecroppers, said an official.

Since the launch of KALIA scheme, the state government has disbursed financial assistance to the tune of Rs 11,600 crore among 43,04,876 small and marginal farmers/actual cultivators(sharecroppers) and 17,71,756 landless agricultural households in Odisha.

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