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Bhubaneswar/Angul: Aiming at providing insurance coverage to the farming community of the State, the Odisha government kicked off Biju Krushak Kalyan Yojana (BKKY) at Khamara village near Pallahara of Angul district on Tuesday.
The new scheme, launched by CM Naveen Patnaik will be implemented in 30 districts in two phases, officials said.
They added, the programme will be operationalised by creating three zones - South, Central and North of the state.
“While each beneficiary will pay a premium of Rs 30 per annum, the insurance cover will be of Rs 30,000, Agriculture minister Debi Mishra had informed reporters after the meeting.
Stating that about six lakh farmers will get the benefit of the policy, Mishra added the beneficiaries include the head of the household, his spouse and three dependents. The State Government has earmarked Rs 100 crore for the implementation of the health insurance scheme under the BKKY, the minister said.
The government’s decision to launch the pro-farmer scheme came amid severe criticism of the opposition parties that the ruling party was not aware of cultivators’ plight. A high level meeting chaired by CM Naveen Patnaik was convened on November 1 at the secretariat to chalk out the action plan for the new scheme.
