Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Saturday disbursed Rs 877 crore to over 43 lakh farmers under the KALIA scheme on Utkal Dibasa (Odisha Day).
The assistance was provided for agricultural activities in the current kharif season. Farmers from all regions of the state, except the by-poll bound Jharsuguda district received it.
The farmers were given the assistance through their bank accounts, a statement issued by the CMO said.
Patnaik said that the state’s development is closely linked with the welfare of the farmers. “Therefore, we started the new financial year by providing this assistance on this auspicious day”.
The Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) is Odisha government’s flagship programme for farmers.
Apart from being self-reliant in the food grain production, Odisha has also been contributing to the country’s food reserves, he said and credited the state’s farmers for it.
The state has taken many measures for the development in the agriculture sector, Patnaik said and advised farmers to use more machines and modern equipment to enhance farm productivity. Advising farmers to focus on crop diversification, he said the state government is implementing several grain-based missions like the Millet Mission and others to boost the production of nutritious food in the state and increase farmers’ income.
PTI