Sambalpur: Ahead of elections and during poll campaigning, BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik had declared that all farmers will be included in ‘Kalia Yojana’ and will be given the scheme’s benefits.
The CM had also said that financial assistance provided under ‘Kalia Yojana’ will be directly transferred to the bank accounts of beneficiaries, right on the day the BJD government takes charge. Farmers who have freshly applied will get the first installment of assistance, and those who have already got the first installment will get the second one.
During the election campaign, the BJD had said the Centre is opposed to ‘Kalia Yojana’ and does not want it implemented.
The Chief Minister took charge May 29 for a fifth term, and 30 days have already passed, but the farmers of Sambalpur district have not got the first installment of ‘Kalia Yojana’.
It is clear that the government is not disbursing ‘Kalia Yojana’ installments by hiding under the excuse that it is correcting the list of beneficiaries to accommodate all bonafide farmers.
Around 1,77,000 people have applied for ‘Kalia Yojana’ benefits in Sambalpur district, and they are still waiting for the first installment to come into their bank accounts. They have now genuine fears about whether they will get the scheme’s benefits.
A list of around 87,000 farmers belonging to nine blocks, including Sambalpur Mahanagar Nigam, of the district was released in the first phase. Of those applicants the names of around 4,000 farmers were struck off for various reasons.
In the second phase, 1,31,000 farmers were registered online in the green form and nearly 6,000 farmers were subsequently eliminated.
Similarly, in the third phase, 49,000 farmers applied for ‘Kalia Yojana’ from Sambalpur district.
Agriculture Department sources said that 2,67,000 farmers have applied from Sambalpur district. Applicants who have not got their first installment so far think that the 18,326 landless farmers who got the scheme’s benefits were given the benefits based on a fake list.
PNN