Bhubaneswar: While it seems Odisha government is yet to set the calculations right, Congress today accused Agriculture Minister Arun Sahoo of providing wrong information related to the KALIA (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation) scheme in the Assembly.
As per an RTI report, 1.72 lakh (approx) ineligible KALIA beneficiaries were identified by October 2019, but Minister Sahoo informed the Assembly that only 45,965 ineligible beneficiaries were identified by the said month, alleged Congress leader Satya Prakash Nayak.
"CM Naveen used the KALIA scheme for political gains... Minister Arun Sahoo has submitted duplicate documents related to the scheme in the State Assembly. I dare the CM to take action against Sahoo under his 5T model of governance," said Nayak.
Alleging that Sahoo has maligned the dignity and integrity of his position, Nayak said, "Congress demands explanation from Sahoo and also his expulsion from the Cabinet for misleading the Assembly by giving false information."
Responding to the allegations, Sahoo said, "I don't have any idea about what Congress has said. Will reply after getting information."
Earlier, the BJP had alleged that over 1/3rd of KALIA scheme beneficiaries are ineligible and demanded a white paper from the government on the same.