BHUBANESWAR: A day after giving its consent to join the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM-KISAN), the State Government once again requested the Centre to include landless labourers, sharecroppers and vulnerable agricultural households under the Central scheme.
Writing his second letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in less than two weeks on the issue, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik reiterated his demand for enhancing the scale of assistance from `6,000 to `10,000 per annum and inclusion of the vulnerable sections under the Central scheme for augmenting farmers’ income.
“I earnestly request you to kindly consider enhancing the scale of assistance to at least `10,000 per annum per family and also include landless agriculture, sharecroppers and vulnerable agricultural households under PM-KISAN scheme,” the Chief Minister said.
The Chief Minister, who has been articulating his concern for the vulnerable sections involved in agricultural activities but not included in the PM-KISAN scheme, said the State Government has already provide cash assistance to about 30.4 lakh agricultural households including 3.1 lakh landless households and 58,000 sharecroppers in the State.
The State Government is providing `10,000 per year in two instalments to each of the farmer beneficiary under KALIA as against `6,000 per beneficiary per annum under the Central scheme.
The Chief Minister further said while each of the landless agricultural worker is entitled to get `12,500 in three instalments, financial assistance of `10,000 is also provided to vulnerable households under KALIA scheme.
Apart from insurance cover of `2 lakh, each of the beneficiary is covered under personal accident for similar amount.
Besides, the children of farm families are provided scholarship under the State scheme. The State scheme which has been rolled out in four phases has so far covered 30.40 lakh farm families.