Bhubaneswar: On the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi released ₹1,025 crore under the CM-KISAN scheme, benefiting around 50 lakh farmers. The funds were directly credited to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

For the first time, 25,000 farmers from urban areas have been included under the CM-KISAN scheme, marking a significant expansion in the government's outreach to cultivators.

The Chief Minister participated in the traditional ‘Akhi Muthi Anukula’ ritual, a ceremonial act of sowing seeds and ploughing land to mark the beginning of the agricultural season, held at the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) farm in Bhubaneswar. He walked barefoot into the field and took up the plough, symbolising solidarity with the farming community.

Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, who was present on the occasion, said he had earlier requested the Chief Minister to personally take part in the state-level Farmers' Day programme. “I had asked him to hold the plough himself, and he readily agreed,” he said. Singh Deo further added, “Next year, we plan to bring him to the field wearing a traditional dhoti.”

He emphasised that the current government is deeply committed to farmers’ welfare, calling it a “government of farmers and people.”

Plans are also underway to facilitate the export of agricultural produce and ensure robust market linkages so that farmers receive fair prices for their crops, said Singh Deo.