Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday sent Rs 1272 crore to the bank accounts of over 53 lakhs farmers under the Krushak Assistance for Livelihoods & Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme.
Patnaik sent Rs 2000 each to the account of every eligible cultivator, small and marginal farmer, and landless agricultural labourer through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) as the 3rd installment of the KALIA scheme.
The Chief Minister transferred the money after interacting with some farmers through videoconferencing.
“While all areas of the economy were affected adversely during the Covid-19 lockdown, our farmers were able to revive the agriculture sector with their hard work. I salute their efforts,” the Chief Minister said.
He said the state government has been demanding repeatedly that the central government double the minimum support price (MSP) of crops.
In addition, various programmes have been taken to strengthen the marketing infrastructure for agricultural products, he said.
It is worthwhile to mention here that the KALIA scheme which was launched in January, 2019, has now become a popular scheme across the country.
Ms Kalinga