In a newly-launched welfare scheme meant for farmers, the BJD government in Odisha on Friday distributed ₹622 crore among 12.45 lakh farmers in the State.

Called Krushak Assistance Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA), the income subsidy scheme was launched by the State Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Puri. The total fund earmarked for the KALIA scheme is around ₹10,000 crore.

According to Krishan Kumar, Special Secretary, Agriculture and Farmer Empowerment department of the State, the scheme targets not just small and marginal farmers, but also the families of sharecroppers and also those with elderly members.

While a small or marginal farmer family would get ₹5,000 continuously for the next five cropping seasons, landless agricultural labourer families will get a one-time assistance payment of ₹12,500 to take up allied agricultural activity such as fisheries or poultry, etc, he said.

The families with elderly people, on the other hand, would get ₹10,000 a year, Kumar said.

The farmers will be paid ₹5,000 each on Akshaya Trutiya for the Kharif crop and on Nuakhai for the Rabi crop, said Patnaik.

The State government has so far received 66 lakh applications. A total of 50 lakh families, after the scrutiny of the applications, will be given the income support. “Today was the culmination of phase 1 and there will be two more phases till March,” said Special Secretary Kumar.

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