What is Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) Scheme?

About KALIA Scheme:

• It was launched by the Odisha Government in December 2018, to reduce poverty and accelerate agricultural prosperity.
• The KALIA scheme supports cultivators, small farmers and landless agricultural labourers.
• It provides payments to farmers to encourage cultivation and associated activities.
• Benefits:

➢   Assistance for cultivation:

•  It gives financial assistance of Rs.25,000 for a farm family (small and marginal farmers) over five seasons to purchase inputs like fertilisers, seeds and pesticides.
• The farm family can also use the financial assistance towards labour and other investments.

➢   Assistance for livelihood:

• The assistance for livelihood provides financial assistance of Rs.12,500 to all landless agricultural households for allied agricultural activities like mini-layer units, small goat rearing units, duckery units, mushroom cultivation, fishery kits for fisherman and bee-keeping, etc.

➢   Assistance for vulnerable agricultural household:

• The vulnerable cultivators or landless agricultural labourers will get financial assistance of Rs.10,000 per family every year to enable them to take care of their sustenance.

➢   Life insurance for cultivators and landless agricultural labourers:

• It provides a life insurance cover of Rs.2 lakh to cultivators and landless agricultural labourers between 18-50 years.
• It also provides a personal accident cover of Rs.2 lakh.

➢   Interest-free crop loan:

• The KALIA scheme will provide crop loans up to Rs.50,000 at 0% interest for the vulnerable landless labourers, sharecroppers, cultivators, and agricultural families identified by Gram Panchayats.