Bhubaneswar: To empower the agricultural community, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik disbursed a total of Rs 933.07 Crore under the KALIA Assistance-2024 scheme to 46 lakh small, marginal, and landless farmers in Odisha on Monday. The initiative, aimed at bolstering the agricultural sector and enhancing the livelihoods of farmers, reaffirms the state government’s commitment to the welfare of its rural population.
Accompanying the financial assistance, Chief Minister Patnaik inaugurated the KALIA Center, designed to provide technical assistance to farmers across all districts of the state. Addressing the farmers, he emphasized the government’s dedication to ensuring that every farming family lives with dignity, strength, and contributes to the prosperity of Odisha.
In a significant announcement, Chief Minister Patnaik extended the duration of the KALIA Yojana for an additional three years, until 2026-27, allocating Rs 6030 crore for its implementation. He highlighted the importance of education in empowering not only individuals but entire families and societies. As part of this commitment, the KALIA scholarship program has been modified to support children from farming families studying in prestigious institutions like NIT, IIT, IIM, AIIMS, ICAR, and various private vocational and professional educational institutions.
To address farmers’ challenges and provide them with technical assistance, Chief Minister Patnaik inaugurated KALIA Kendra in 30 districts, emphasizing their role as innovation and resource centers in the field of agriculture.
In a gesture of support to landless farmers, an additional financial assistance of Rs. 2000 for the Kharif season was announced, benefiting over 18 lakh landless farming families in the state. Additionally, Rs. 2000 was credited to the bank accounts of more than 45 lakh farmers for Kharif-2024.
Chief Minister Patnaik expressed that the prosperity of the farmers contributes directly to the prosperity of the state. Agriculture Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain lauded the historic KALIA Yojana, started five years ago, for its positive impact on Odisha’s farmers. Kartik Pandian, Chairman of 5T and Nabin Odisha, acknowledged the Chief Minister’s continuous efforts to expand the KALIA Yojana, benefitting 64 lakh farmers over the past five years.
The program was attended by Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena, Development Commissioner Anu Garg, Principal Secretary of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment Department Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, and other senior officials, highlighting the collective commitment to the welfare of Odisha’s farming community.
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