Financing agriculture and insuring the cultivators is essential to eradicate poverty and to boost shared prosperity of the state. Through the implementation of Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation – KALIA Scheme , the State Government aims to lend farmers with an all inclusive and flexible support system, ensuring accelerated agricultural prosperity. At the heart of a progressive scheme like KALIA lies the motivation to empower the farmers of the state with finance options that will enable the growth and development of agriculture in Odisha. Enhancement of the accessibility to suitable financial services will further ensure agricultural productivity and increase income among farmers , particularly the small and marginal land holders.
Amounting to over 10,000 crore the scheme has been tailored to relieve the debt ridden farmers from the debt trap, keeping a pragmatic vision to directly attack poverty by providing financial assistance to the vulnerable agriculture households, landless labourers as well as marginal cultivators of the state. Proposed by the Government of Odisha , KALIA scheme brings under its umbrella 92% of cultivators of the state and almost all needy landless cultivators , who can avail the benefits of this scheme through Direct Benefit Transfer Mode.
The Odisha government launched the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme to reduce poverty and accelerate agricultural prosperity. It is a scheme that provides various benefits for farmers’ welfare.
The KALIA scheme supports cultivators, small farmers and landless agricultural labourers. It provides payments to farmers to encourage cultivation and associated activities. It will benefit 92% of the cultivators in the state of Odisha, who can avail of the scheme benefits through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.
Benefits
- Financial Assistance of Rs.12,500/-will be provided to each landless Agricultural Household for Agricultural allied activities like for small goat rearing unit, mini-layer unit, duckery units, fishery kits for fisherman, mushroom cultivation and bee-keeping, etc. This will particularly benefit to SC & ST population of our State.
- Vulnerable cultivators/landless agricultural laborers will get financial assistance of Rs. 10,000/- per family per year to enable them to take care of their sustenance. The vulnerable cultivator/landless Agricultural Laborers who are in old age, having disability/ disease and are vulnerable for any other reason
- Life insurance cover of Rs. 2.00 lakh at a very nominal premium of Rs.330/- will be provided to all savings bank account holder of age between 18-50 years. Government of Odisha will bear farmers’ share of annual premium of Rs.165/-. Personal accident cover of Rs.2.00 lakh at a very nominal annual premium of Rs.12/- for all savings bank account holder aged between 18-50 years. Out of Rs.12/- towards premium, Rs.6/- is the farmers’ share, which will be borne by the Govt. of Odisha. In respect of the above beneficiary whose age is between 51-70 years, the entire amount of Rs.12/- towards annual premium will be borne by Govt. of Odisha.
- Vulnerable landless laborers, cultivators, share croppers and agricultural families identified by Gram Panchayats will be provided with cop loans up to Rs 50,000 made available at 0% interest. A direct attack at poverty, this all-inclusive efficient scheme passionately believes in responsibly lending relevant borrowers ensuring development and growth in agriculture.
Eligibility for KALIA Scheme
- Small and marginal farmers. A small farmer is a cultivator owning one hectare (2.5 acres) to two hectares (5 acres) of agricultural land. A marginal farmer is a farmer owning less than one hectare of agricultural land.
- Landless agricultural households. A landless agricultural household is a household that does not own any land and is engaged in agricultural activities for more than six months, not covering other activities such as construction, etc.
- Vulnerable agricultural households. A vulnerable agricultural household covers vulnerable cultivators, who are vulnerable due to old age, disease, disability, or any other reason.
- Landless agricultural labourers and sharecroppers.
- The farmers must be permanent residents or domiciles of Odisha.
The following persons are ineligible to get the benefits of the KALIA scheme:
- When a farmers’ spouse is an employee under the Central Government, State Government or Public Sector Undertaking (PSU).
- A farmer belongs to the Urban Local Body (ULB).
- A farmer is a present or former Central Minister, Member of Parliament, State Minister, Member of Legislative Assembly, Mayor or Zila Parishad.
- A farmer is an engineer, lawyer, architect, doctor, chartered accountant, police or teacher registered with professional bodies.
- A farmer or his/her family member is an income or professional taxpayer or assessee.
- A farmer is a minor (less than 18 years).
- A farmer is a present or former holder of constitutional posts.
- A farmer has been assisted multiple times (more than one).
- A farmer is not interested, i.e. has applied for voluntary exclusion from the scheme.
Documents Required
- Aadhaar Card: A copy of your Aadhaar card is mandatory to apply for the KALIA Scheme. The Aadhaar number must be linked to your bank account.
- Bank Account Details: You need to provide your bank account details, including the bank name, branch name, account number, and IFSC code.
- Land Documents: If you own cultivable land, you need to submit the land documents, such as the land passbook or land tax receipt. If you are a sharecropper, you need to submit the sharecropping agreement.
- Income Certificate: You need to provide an income certificate issued by a competent authority to prove that your annual income is less than Rs. 2.00 lakhs per annum.
- Identity Proof: You need to submit a copy of your identity proof, such as a Voter ID card, PAN card, or Driving License.
- Photograph: You need to submit a recent passport-size photograph.
KALIA Scheme Application Process
- The farmers can fill out the KALIA scheme application form available at the Gram Panchayat office and submit it at the Gram Panchayat office level.
- The Gram Panchayat level nodal officers will scrutinise the list of applicants with the Gram Panchayat Level Committee and submit the list to the District Level Committee for approval.
- A draft list of beneficiaries under the KALIA scheme will be published at each Primary Agriculture Credit Society (PACS) and Gram Panchayat level. The applicants can check the scheme beneficiary list at the PACS, Grama Panchayat level, or the official KALIA scheme website.
FAQs
Is there any scope for financial assistance to Vulnerable agricultural household?
Yes, the vulnerable cultivators/landless agricultural laborers will get financial assistance of Rs. 10,000/- per family per year to enable them to take care of their sustenance. The vulnerable cultivator/landless Agricultural Laborers who are in old age, having disability/ disease and are vulnerable for any other reason
What are the benefits available for Cutivators?
Financial assistance of Rs.25,000/- per farm family over five seasons will be provided to small and marginal farmers so that farmers can purchase inputs like seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and use assistance towards labour and other investments. This scheme is implemented from current Rabi Season 2018-19 onwards.