Kabisuryanagar: The block administration of Kabisuryanagar in Berhampur district has started the process of verifying ineligible beneficiaries of ‘Kalia’ scheme.
The administration has requested the ineligible beneficiaries to voluntarily refund the money taken by them.
The verification has been extended to August 27. The verification report will be send to the Agriculture and Farmer Empowerment department and the names of ineligible beneficiaries will be uploaded on the website of the department, said BDO and Nodal Officer Basudev Nayak.
The government through advertisements in newspapers said that people who consider themselves ineligible but have got the money in their bank accounts should contact the panchayat office and refund it.
Basudev said during verification of first phase applicants, 12,553 beneficiaries were identified as eligible from the total of 15,466, and the verification of second phase applicants is underway.
After publishing the names of 51 lakh ‘Kalia’ (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation), the government is now geared up to drop ineligible beneficiaries.
Under the scheme, a farmer gets Rs 5,000 financial assistance per crop. A farm household is entitled to Rs 10,000 a year for two crops (Kharif and Rabi).
All small and marginal farmers and landless agricultural households, vulnerable agricultural households, landless agricultural labourers and sharecroppers/actual cultivators are eligible for ‘Kalia’ help.
Sources said, of 51 lakh farmers, 37 lakh were small and marginal farmers while the remaining 14 lakh were landless farmers. The list of beneficiaries will also be displayed at all gram panchayat offices to identify the ineligible.
The Nodal Officer said those who voluntarily want to delete their names from the ‘Kalia’ beneficiary list, can do so by filing up a form. Legal action will be taken against ineligible beneficiaries who do not return the money given to them after seeing their names in the list at panchayat offices.
The government has set up committees at the panchayat, block and district levels to identify fake beneficiaries.
But locals have expressed resentment over the verification of ineligible Kalia beneficiaries, saying that Kalia was only a pre-election move of the government.
The government’s inability to identify ineligible beneficiaries while distributing money has put a question mark on the efficiency of officials.
The block administration of Kabisuryanagar said the number of ineligible beneficiaries is likely to touch 2,000 by August 27.
PNN