KALIA- Odisha CM’s New Year gift to farmers

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today formally launched the ‘Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation’ (KALIA) scheme amounting to over Rs 10,000 crore to provide financial aid to farmers of the State.

The scheme was launched by Patnaik at the State Secretariat here this evening.

All small and marginal farmers of the state will be covered under this scheme. According to official sources, an amount of Rs 10,000 per family at the rate of Rs 5,000 each for Kharif and Rabi seasons shall be provided as financial assistance for taking up cultivation. This assistance is for five cropping seasons spanning three years from 2018-19 to 2021-22.

Furthermore, as many as 10 lakh landless households will be supported with a unit cost of Rs 12,500 to take up activities like small goat rearing, duckery units, fishery kits, mushroom cultivation and bee keeping.

This apart, an annual financial assistance of Rs 10,000 per household will be provided to take care of sustenance of those farmers who may not be able to take up cultivation or avail livelihood options due to old-age, disability, disease or other reasons.

Importantly, life insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh and additional personal accident cover of Rs 2 lakh will be provided to both cultivators and landless agricultural labourers covering about 57 lakh households.

Crop loans up to Rs 50,000 will henceforth be interest free. Under KALIA, an amount of Rs 10,180 crore will be spent over a period of three years till 2020-21. The scheme will be reviewed in 2020-21 for further modifications.

The CM has launched the official logo, website – www.kalia.co.in and a helpline number 1800-572- 1122 of the scheme.

Among others, Ministers Surya Narayan Patro, Prafulla Samal, Chief Secretary AP Padhi, Development Commissioner Asit Tripathy among others were present at the launching event.