Figures on the number of beneficiaries of the Kushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) furnished by different Ministers at different times are different.
While Agriculture Minister Arun Sahoo had earlier stated that 51,50,290 farmers had received money under the KALIA scheme, Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari on Tuesday informed the State Assembly that only 43 lakh farmers have got assistance under the KALIA scheme.
To a question Madan Mohan Dutt (BJP), Agriculture Minister on Wednesday also informed the Assembly that 45,965 ineligible beneficiaries have been identified so far and steps are being taken to get the money back from them.
He further said that as many as 1,873 such beneficiaries have already returned the money and efforts are on to recover the money from the bogus beneficiaries.
The Minister also clarified that there is no plan to merge the KALIA scheme with Centre’s PM-KISAN Yojana.