Bhubaneswar, Sep 21 : About 44.56 lakh farmers in Odisha received Rs.2000 each as Kalia assistance on Wednesday during Nuakhai festival, a major festival in Western Odisha.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the occasion of Nuakhai festival provided Rs.900 crore for rabi crop assistance of Rs.2000 each to 43.88 lakh small and minor farmers and 68,750 landless families through a programme on video conferencing.
The Kalia assistance will be directly transferred to the accounts of the farmers in the state
Speaking on the occasion, Patnaik said farmers are the pride of the state and he wanted the farmers of the state to live with dignity and join the success of development .
The Chief Minister said so far farmers in the state have been provided with Rs 12,500 crore assistance under the KALIA scheme.
Patnaik said he wanted the children of farmers to bring fame and name for their own family as well as for the state by joining good professions and becoming doctors and engineers.
The state government is providing a KALIA scholarship to the children of the KALIA scheme beneficiaries.
Patnaik said the state government is also providing premium for the crop insurance for the benefit of the farmers. This year over 22 lakh farmers have registered their names to avail the crop insurance.
He said the state government has launched a series of schemes for agriculture and appealed to the farmers to take advantage and make Odisha a prosperous state in the agriculture sector.
Under the KALIA scheme small and minor farmers are being given assistance to procure seeds, fertiliser, pesticide, and agricultural equipment..
In addition to it landless farmers are being given assistance to take up various livelihood projects like goatery, poultry, honey farming and for growing mushrooms.
Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister R P Swain also spoke on the occasion.