Bhubaneswar: Taking immediate step after allegations of KALIA money debited from the beneficiaries' bank accounts, Odisha government directed all the banks not to debit outstanding loan amount from their accounts.

The money transferred to the eligible beneficiaries under KALIA scheme will not be deducted as charges or installment from their bank accounts, informed State Agriculture Secretary Sourabh Garg here today.

The process has been started for phase II disbursement of money under KALIA scheme to the eligible beneficiaries.

With district collectors, we reviewed the status of KALIA scheme and asked them to finalise the list for phase II. We will be meeting our deadline soon, said Garg.

Following the allegations of KALIA money deduction, the Agriculture Additional Secretary had written a letter to 14 nationalised banks including Reserve Bank of India and NABARD on Jan 30.

On Thursday, the government in a state-level bankers' meeting chaired by the Development Commissioner Asit Kumar Tripathy had asked banks not to debit the money transferred to the farmers' accounts under KALIA scheme.

Recently, the Agriculture Secretary had made it clear that steps will be taken to take back the KALIA money reportedly credited to the ineligible beneficiaries' bank accounts.