KALIA (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation) Scheme

For agricultural prosperity and to develop the poor farmers, the Orissa government initiated KALIA (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation) Scheme in January 2019. Through the scheme, 92% of the cultivators will get assistance. For encouraging cultivation, small farmers get payments after applying for the scheme. 

The objective of the KALIA scheme

The primary purpose behind launching Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation scheme is to reduce poverty, increase agriculture growth, and finance cultivators to generate a good amount of income. 

The mission behind launching the KALIA scheme

• The government, through this scheme, wants to support farmers who are in debt and free them from the debt trap.
• The scheme also provides financial aid to landless laborers, households running on agriculture earnings, and marginal farmers living in Orrisa.

Features of KALIA Scheme:

• The scheme aims to help farmers with their loans and financial support.
• The scheme’s total cost is estimated to be around Rs.10,180 crores, and the utilization of this amount will be for the welfare of farmers.
• Provisions under the scheme:
  • For Cultivators: They will get Rs 10,000 per family to cultivate crops smoothly. During the Kharif and Rabi seasons, each family will get a provision of Rs 5,000 separately till five cropping seasons. Up to Rs 50,000, there are interest-free crop loans.
  • For Landless Agricultural Households: They will get Rs.12500 as financial aid to each landless Agricultural Household and small agricultural units like goat rearing.
  • For the Elderly: People aged or disabled and cannot do cultivation will get Rs 10,000 per year and that too for each household.
  • Insurance: 57 lakh households will benefit from life insurance cover with an amount of Rs 2 lakh along with an accident cover of Rs 2lakh.

Eligibility for KALIA Scheme

• Small farmers who own 2.5 acres to 5 acres of agricultural land.
• A marginal farmer who owns one hectare of agricultural land.
• Landless agricultural households with no land but only agricultural activities for six months or more.
• Vulnerable agricultural families such as the elderly, disabled, or sick
• Sharecroppers
• Odisha-based farmers who have permanent residents or are domiciles can benefit from the scheme.
• Any farmer under the tax payment bracket is not eligible for the yojana.
• After the beneficiary’s death, the financial aid automatically comes to an end.
• The applicant must possess an aadhar card, photograph, address proof, and bank account to enrol in the scheme.

How is KALIA Scheme beneficial?

Support for cultivation 

The primary benefit of the scheme is marginal farmers, and their families get financial assistance for cultivation with an amount of Rs.25,000 for over five seasons. With its help, they can purchase seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and more. They can also utilize the fund for other investment purposes. 

Livelihood support

Through the scheme, landless agricultural households get around Rs.12,500. The fund drives agricultural activities such as small goat rearing units, fishery kits for fishermen, duckery units, and more. It will help SC and ST farmer groups of Orrisa.

Support for vulnerable agricultural household 

With the amount of Rs.10,000 per family of vulnerable sections every year, the scheme aims to benefit them for an extended period to sustain themselves.

Life insurance for each farmer

Cultivators and landless farmers aged 18-50 years will get a life insurance cover of Rs.2 lakh with a premium of Rs.330 every year. They should have a savings bank account. 

Also, they will get a personal accident cover of Rs.2 lakh with a premium of Rs.12 per annum. The Odisha government will bear a premium of Rs. 165 and Rs. 6 for accident cover, which is the farmer’s share.

Interest-free crop loan

Cultivators will also enjoy crop loans for Rs.50,000, given at 0% interest. It is for agricultural development.

How to apply for Kalia Scheme?

• Fill out the application form for Kalia Scheme. Farmers can get the form at the Gram Panchayat office.
• Next, submit the form to the Gram Panchayat office.
• Nodal Officers will go through the list of applicants.
• After scrutinizing, the officers will provide the list further for approval to the District Level Committee.
• The draft list publishes at the Primary Agriculture Credit Society (PACS) and Gram Panchayat level.
• Candidates can check the list on the official site of KALIA or at the Gram Panchayat level.
• After that, beneficiaries can update their KYC on the KALIA site. Farmers will get the fund to their bank account directly through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.

As all know, the Indian economy has roots lying in its agricultural sector, and the KALIA scheme is a great initiative to boost the growth of this sector.