Angul: The state government’s Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme has received tremendous response from farmers as 2,39,490 lakh applications were received under the scheme in the first phase.
Sunday was the deadline for online entry. The applications have been divided into three categories. People who have filled the KALIA form properly without any mistake have been placed in Category-1. Farmers with no land have been placed in Category-2 and those who have filled the form with errors have been placed in Category-3.
“The forms will be sent for further processing and only eligible people will avail the benefits,” district deputy director of agriculture Bijay Mahapatra said.
Compared to the number of farmers as per government records, interestingly, more number of forms reached the office in the district.
As per government survey in 2011, there are 1,36,613 farmers in Angul district. However, as many as 2,39,490 people have applied for the scheme. This shows that a total of 1,02,877 number of farmers have increased in the last eight years.
In the first phase, farmers are expected to receive assistance of Rs 5,000 to spend on seed, fertilizer and labour cost for the forthcoming rabi crop. Verification of the applications including the landless farmers and agricultural labourers would be started after disbursement of assistance for the first phase.
However, the huge number of applications in Angul district alone has left the officials in tizzy. While everyone wants to avail the benefits, it is to be seen who will be selected.
PNN