Kendrapara: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Friday launched KALIA (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation) Yojana for landless farmers across the state.
Addressing around a lakh farmers of Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts at the Baro Siddha Mahapursuha field in Kendrapara block, the CM said that Kendrapara district was the karmabhumi of the late Biju Babu and, hence, he has an emotional attachment to it. The CM said that in the first phase of KALIA, 3.5 lakh landless farmers would get financial assistance and that the money would be deposited in the beneficiaries’ bank accounts.
KALIA is the biggest scheme of the government aimed at empowering small, marginal and landless farmers, and it is a model for the entire country, the CM added. Marginal farmers, sharecroppers and farm labourers would get assistance under KALIA Yojana.
The CM said that although the Centre has implemented a scheme for farmers, no assistance has been provided for landless farmers.
“If farmers prosper the country will develop. So I asked the PM to include landless farmers in the Central scheme. KALIA Yojana has become the amogha asthra for eradicating poverty in the state,” the CM said. The CM also inaugurated the Kalia Sahayata Patra at the meeting. The CM also paid tributes to the CRPF jawans who were martyred Thursday at Pulwama and expressed solidarity with their families.
Naveen also inaugurated a mega lift irrigation project costing `24.96 crore at Deulatara, a mega lift irrigation project at Aul block’s Dimiripal costing `15.20 crore, a 33/11 KV primary sub-station under the ODSSP scheme at Jariabada costing `8 crore and another at DK Bhol costing `6 crore.
The CM laid foundation stones for 16 projects in the district – a project for the scoured bank of Brahmani Right near Jharakata with launching aprons in Rajnagar block; the project to protect the bank from Sorisada to Patrapur village on Brahmani Left; the project to protect the scoured bank on Keredagada Altanga Saline Embankment on Hansua River right near Jagannathpur; improvement of Junagadi Patina Road via Panchupali-Silapokhari Nuakanta to Junusgar Ghat on Panchupali Pantala Saline Ghery and improvement of Rangani Circuit to Kothighat Road (saline ghery); improvement of Kendrapara-Indupur Road (MDR-13).
Nine farmers from Kendrapara district and eight farmers from Jagatsinghpur shared the dais with the CM.
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