Landless farmers to get assistance under KALIA scheme tomorrow

Bhubaneswar: Odisha government is all set to provide monetary assistance to nearly three lakh landless farmers tomorrow under the KALIA scheme. Agriculture Minister Sashi Bhusan Behera today informed that Rs 5,000 will be directly transferred to the bank accounts of the landless farmers in the first phase.

A training programme for the nodal officers from every district was held today to provide all information regarding the transfer of benefits under the KALIA scheme.

“After the release of money in the first phase, Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,500 will be transferred to the landless farmers in the subsequent phases and the State government will monitor the entire scheme to ensure that the farmers are utilising the assistance properly,” said Behera.

Official sources said the monetary assistance will be provided to about 14 lakh small and marginal farmers in the second phase on February 22. It is pertinent to mention here that on December 21, 2018 Odisha government had announced KALIA scheme to support small and marginal farmers and landless agricultural labourers in the State.

As part of the scheme, the government has decided to provide small and marginal farmers financial support of Rs 10,000 per year in two tranches of Rs 5000 during Kharif and Rabi seasons. Secondly, livelihood support of Rs 12,500 for landless households will also be disbursed under the scheme.