Amid opposition parties’ demand for waiving of farm loans, the State Cabinet, instead, on Friday approved a Rs 10,000-crore scheme named ‘Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA)’ to provide financial, livelihood, cultivation and insurance supports to farmers for three years till 2020-21.
“The sharpest decline in poverty levels in the country has happened in Odisha. Nearly 8 million people have been lifted out of poverty. About 60 per cent of our population is dependent on agriculture. With our intervention, from a rice deficit State, we have become the 3rd largest contributors to the PDS. Bagging a record five 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 targeting 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,” Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told reporters after presiding over the Cabinet mee ting.
He termed the scheme historic saying that it would cover almost 92 per cent of the cultivators 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 per cent have regularly repaid the loans. Further, the entire gamut of sharecroppers and landless labourers will not be covered under a loan waiver scheme, Patnaik pointed out and said, “In this context, KALIA scheme covers 92 per cent 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 up to Rs 50,000 are made available at 0 per cent interest,”
“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,” said Patnaik.
The KALIA scheme has 5 interventions:
It would provide support to cultivators for cultivation. All the small and marginal farmers of the State (over 30 lakh) will be given Rs 5,000 each for Kharif and Rabi seasons. This will cover 92 per cent of the cultivators. Further, this assistance is for five cropping seasons spanning three years from 2018-19 to 2021-22 so as to ensure comprehensive coverage.
It would provide livelihood support to 10 lakh landless households, who would be provided Rs 12,500 to take up one of the activities like small goat rearing units, mini layer units, duckery units, fishery kits for fishermen and women, mushroom cultivation and bee keeping. Among others, this will particularly benefit Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe households.
The scheme targets to provide financial assistance to 10 lakh vulnerable agriculture households and landless labourers in cases of 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.
Besides, the scheme would provide insurance cover of farmers. Life Insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh and additional personal accident cover of Rs 2 lakh will be provided to cultivators and landless agricultural labourers covering about 57 lakh households.
These apart, crop loans up to Rs 50, 000 will henceforth be interest-free.
To media queries on the Congress’ and the BJP’s promises of loan waivers, the Chief Minister said, “The Congress Government waived loans in 1995. You know Government employees were not getting salary and developmental process was stalled. The BJP talks much, does less. In 2014, it promised for special category status. You know the matter,” he said and added that the Governments led by the Congress and the BJP bankrupt the whole nation and the States as well.”