Bhubaneswar: More than 3.40 lakh beneficiaries were found ineligible for Kalia Yojana which entails small and marginal farmers besides share croppers and farm labourers Rs 10,000 per annum in two equal instalment.
Interestingly, a government the scrutiny of beneficiaries found as many as 20,000 people who have taken Kalia money are either government servant or pension holders .
Over 12,000 big farmers have also availed money under the scheme though it only for small farmers having less than 2 hectares of land.
What is more surprising is that 9000 minors have also availed the opportunity to get Kalia money.
Besides, 3 lakh farmers families were found be multiple beneficiaries of the scheme .
According to a press note released by the State agriculture department, 3.41 lakh beneficiaries were found to be ineligible to be covered under the scheme. The government has appealed to the beneficiaries to refund the money they have received. In the case of duplication, the money would adjusted when the next tranche of financial assistance will be released. The big farmers were appealed to refund the money so that they can be covered under PM Kishan Nidhi Yojaja.
Launching a massive farmers welfare scheme Kurshak Assistance for Livelihood & Income Augmentation (KALIA) on the eve of the 2019 general elections and State assembly elections, the government had identified 51.05 lakh beneficiaries which includes 36.34 lakh land holder farmers and 14.70 lakh share-cropper and landless labourer families. Not only that it transferred first installment of Rs 5000 to the farmers bank account.
The State agriculture minister Arun Sahoo, after assuming the charge of the department, ordered for verification of the beneficiary lists. He, in fact, assured the Odisha assembly that the scrutiny would would be over by August 31,2019.
Sahoo said that no eligible farmer family would be remain outside of the Kalia scheme. He said that after weeding out the ineligible beneficiaries more farmer families those were left out would be covered under the scheme. He said the department has launched simultaneous drive include eligible farmer families in the Kalia Yojana.
