Context

The Odisha Cabinet on Friday approved the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme amounting to ?10,000 crore to accelerate agricultural prosperity and to reduce poverty in the State.

About

• All the small and marginal farmers of the State will be covered under the scheme. An amount of ?10,000 per family at the rate of ?5,000 for Kharif and Rabi shall be provided as financial assistance for taking up cultivation.
• 10 lakh landless households will be supported with a unit cost of ?12,500 to take up activities like small goat rearing units, mini layer units, duck units, fishery kits for fishermen and women, mushroom cultivation and bee keeping.
• An annual financial assistance of Rs 10,000 per household will be provided to take care of sustenance of farmers not able to take up cultivation due to old age, disability, disease or other reasons
• Deserving families will be identified and selected by gram panchayats. About 10 lakh households will be covered over two years.
• The KALIA scheme also include life insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh and additional personal accident cover of Rs 2 lakh will be provided to both cultivators and landless agriculture labourers
• The crop loan up to Rs 50,000 will henceforth be interest free.

Significance

It is a progressive and inclusive scheme and will make a direct impact on poverty through massive investment in this sector and making benefits reach the neediest through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.