The Odisha government Tuesday decided on a five-fold increase in the number of target beneficiaries for farmers' welfare scheme KALIA for the landless agricultural household category to 5 lakh during 2019-20.
A proposal to this effect was approved at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here.
"Though earlier it was decided to restrict the number of beneficiaries under landless agricultural households to one lakh, now it has been decided to enhance it to 5 lakh during 2019-20," said Chief Secretary A P Padhi.
Each beneficiary household under the landless agricultural category will get Rs 12,500 as assistance under the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme.
Padhi said each beneficiary will be paid Rs 5,000 in the first tranche. The balance will be paid in two more tranches later.
He added that it has been decided to include all eligible beneficiaries to get assistance under the KALIA scheme.
He said the landless agricultural households will be provided with small goat rearing unit/ fishery kit/ bee keeping and mushroom cultivation units based on the choice of the household.
KALIA scheme has five components such as support to cultivators for cultivation, livelihood support for landless agricultural labourers, life insurance support for cultivators and landless agricultural labourers, financial assistance to vulnerable agricultural households and interest free crop loan.
Meanwhile, the state government has transferred the first tranche of Rs 5,000 to 13 lakh small and marginal farmers and share croppers as support to cultivators, Padhi said.
In order to provide certainty to the farmers on the time of receipt of funds, it was decided that the Kharif assistance will be paid on 'Akshaya Tritiya' day and the Rabi assistance on agrarian festival 'Nuakhai' every year to the small and marginal farmers under the KALIA scheme, Padhi said.
"This will give them ample time to use this assistance for purchase of inputs and for making the required investments in the field operations based on their needs," Padhi said.
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