Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Over 1.04 Lakh beneficiaries of Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) have been recognized as not entitled as confirmed by the Odisha Government in the Assembly.
Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Arun Kumar Sahoo said a total of 1,04,076 ineligible and 56,14,707 eligible beneficiaries have been identified after verification. Around 36.5 lakh small and marginal farmers and families of 17.04 lakh, landless agriculture laborers have availed benefits under the scheme.
As per the report in September 2019 around 3.14 lakh of 51.05 lakh beneficiaries under the KALIA scheme do not deserve the relief, as informed by the Minister. But in July 2020 the state government issued notices to around 50,000 farmers directing them to refund the money.
Later the government received heavy criticism from the BJP due to which the Odisha Government reversed the decision. The government informed that the complete list of KALIA beneficiaries is available at the official website www.kalia.co.in.
Minister Arun Sahoo informed that the eligible farmers, who have not been included in the list as yet, could apply through the web portal with proper documents. The officials engaged in the scrutiny process have been asked to ensure that not a single deserving beneficiary is left out of the scheme.
Recently, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik provided financial assistance of Rs 1,272 crore under the scheme to more than 53 lakh farmers of the State. But the number of beneficiaries who have received the assistance is not yet cleared. In December 2019 the Odisha Government decided to reduce the annual assistance to Rs 4,000 from Rs 10,000.Â
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