Bhubaneswar.Dec.21: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today announced Rs 10,000 crore-KALIA scheme (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood & Income Augmentation) for farmers to provide financial, livelihood, cultivation support along with insurance.
The announcement was made in the State Cabinet meeting held at the Secretariat here this evening.
Addressing the media soon after the meeting, Patnaik said, “The sharpest decline in poverty levels in the country has happened in Odisha. Nearly 8 million people have been lifted out of poverty.
60% of our population is dependent on agriculture. With our intervention, from a rice deficit State, we have become the 3 largest contributors to the PDS. Bagging a record 5 Krishi Karman Awards, we are the only State in the country, to have doubled farmers’ income. In 2014, we promised an additional 10 lakh hectares of irrigation and we are almost there. This target will be met by March 2019.
The Millet Mission is an example of an initiative having inclusion and equity -primarily targetting upland areas.
To further accelerate agricultural prosperity in the State and to reduce Poverty, the State Cabinet has today approved, the historic “Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation” – KALIA Scheme, amounting to over 10,000 crores.”
The Odisha CM further said that KALIA Scheme is historical in the sense that it covers almost 92% of the cultivators in the State and almost all landless agricultural labourers. There are about 32 lakh cultivators in the State. Out of this, about 20 lakh have availed crop loans, leaving a balance of 12 lakh farmers who have not availed crop loans. Out of the 20 lakh loanee farmers, about 60% have regularly repaid the loans. Further, the entire gamut of sharecroppers and landless labourers will not be covered under a loan waiver scheme.
In this context, KALIA Scheme covers 92% of the cultivators, loanee, as well as non-loanee farmers, sharecroppers and landless agriculture labourers. It also specifically takes care of vulnerable agricultural families identified through Gram Panchayats, and crop loans are made available at 0% interest, Patnaik said.
“KALIA is progressive, inclusive and will make a direct attack on poverty by way of massive investment in this sector and making benefits reach the neediest through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode,” Patnaik concluded.
The KALIA scheme has 5 interventions:
(1) Support to cultivators for cultivation.
ers of the State (over 30 lakh) will be covered under this scheme. An amount of Rs.10,000 per family @ Rs.5,000/- each for Kharif and Rabi seasons shall be provided as financial assistance for taking up cultivation. Farmers will have complete independence to take up interventions as per their needs. This will cover 92% of the cultivators of the State. This component is not linked to the extent of land owned. Thus it is progressive in nature. It will greatly benefit sharecroppers / actual cultivators most of whom own very small extents of land. Further, this assistance is for 5 cropping seasons spanning three years from 2018-19 to 2021-22 so as to ensure comprehensive coverage.
(2) Livelihood Support for Landless Households:
Most of the schemes on agriculture bypass landless agriculture households. Under this initiative, 10 lakh landless households will be supported with a unit cost of Rs.12,500 to take up activities like small goat rearing units, mini layer units, duckery units, fishery kits for fishermen and women, mushroom cultivation and bee keeping.
The landless households will have the option of selecting any of the units. Among others, this will particularly benefit Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe households. An amount of Rs. 1250 crores will be utilised in 3 years.
(3) Financial Assistance to Vulnerable Agriculture Households and Landless Labourers:
Sometimes, farmers may not be able to take up cultivation and some of the landless agricultural labourers may not be able to avail livelihood options due to old age, disability, disease or other reasons. An annual financial assistance of Rs.10,000 per household will be provided to take care of their sustenance.
Deserving families will be identified and selected by Gram Panchayats.
About 10 lakh households win be covered over 2 years under this scheme at a cost of Rs.1000 crores
(4) Life Insurance Cover:
Life Insurance cover of Rs 2 lakhs and additional Personal Accident cover of Rs 2 lakh will be provided to cultivators and landless agricultural labourers covering about 57 lakh households.
(5) Crop Loans up to Rs. 50 000 will henceforth be interest-free:
Under KALIA scheme an amount & Rs.10,180 crores will be spent over a period of 3 years till 2020-21. The scheme will be reviewed in 2020-21 for further modifications.
Prasanta Patnaik