Bhubaneswar: Nine months after Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (Kalia) scheme was launched for poor and marginal farmers of the state, the government is yet to make a final list of deserving beneficiaries.
Thousands of ineligible persons, meanwhile, have pocketed the financial assistance offered by the government under the scheme. The government is mulling ways to recover the money from them, Agriculture Minister Arun Sahoo said Tuesday.
According to government data, the state has distributed an assistance of about Rs 170.50 crore to 3.41 lakh ineligible beneficiaries under the scheme.
According to a press notification issued by the Agriculture Department, about 12,000 large farmers have received the assistance. They will be motivated and encouraged to refund the amount as they will get the assistance under the PM-KISAN scheme.
As many as 9,000 minors have also received assistance under the scheme. As the heads of their families may have been provided with assistance, it will be adjusted from subsequent installments.
Besides, 20,000 government employees and pensioners have received assistance. They will be asked to refund the amount or else the amount will be deducted from their salary or pension.
The notification further adds that around 3 lakh multiple members of the same eligible family have received the assistance. The amount released to them shall be adjusted from subsequent installments.
A verification process was undertaken to identify the ineligible beneficiaries, minister Sahoo informed.
He further added that the government has provided financial assistance to 51.05 lakh small and marginal farmers and landless agricultural labourers under the scheme. The state government has transferred Rs 5,000 assistance to each 36.34 lakh small and marginal farmers and 14.70 lakh landless agricultural labourers under it.
The government has said that those who voluntarily wish to delete their names from the Kalia beneficiary list can also refund the Kalia assistance they have received. They can deposit the assistance they have received in the bank account: Voluntary Refund of Kalia assistance, Account No: 38474500762, IFSC Code: 561100010236, State Bank of India, Odisha Secretariat Branch, Bhubaneswar.
The left out beneficiaries, who were not included under the Kalia scheme so far, can now apply for enrolling themselves under the scheme.
The government has formed committees at panchayat, block and district levels for identifying the fake beneficiaries.