Odisha State Cabinet on Friday approved ‘Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation’ (KALIA) scheme amounting to over Rs 10,000 crore covering 92 percent of Cultivators. Under KALIA, an amount of Rs 10,180 crore will be spent over a period of three years till 2020-21. The scheme will be reviewed in 2020-21 for further modifications.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said: The scheme will cover 92 percent cultivators; those who have taken farm loans, non-loanee farmers, sharecroppers, and landless agricultural laborers.
According to official sources, an amount of Rs 10,000 per family at the rate of Rs 5,000 each for Kharif and Rabi seasons shall be provided as financial assistance for taking up cultivation. This assistance is for five cropping seasons spanning three years from 2018-19 to 2021-22.
Furthermore, as many as 10 lakh landless households will be supported with a unit cost of Rs 12,500 to take up activities like small goat rearing, duckery units, fishery kits, mushroom cultivation, and beekeeping.
The State Government also proposed to provide life insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh and additional personal accident cover of Rs 2 lakh to both cultivators and Landless agricultural laborers. Crop loans up to Rs 50,000 will henceforth be interest-free
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Attacked Congress for Farm Loan Waive, he said that it had been done in the past, and it led to a massive crunch in the state economy.
Congress National President Rahul Gandhi on December 18, said, that “He will not let PM Modi sleep peacefully until farm loans are waived off”