Naveen urges poll panel to allow KALIA scheme

Bhubaneswar, April 9 (IANS) Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday urged the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to allow implementation of farmers' KALIA scheme.

Patnaik met CEO Surendra Kumar and urged him to allow distribution of financial assistance under Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) to the farmers.

He alleged that while the Election Commission has red-flagged fund transfer under KALIA scheme because of the model code of conduct, it has not stopped disbursal of funds under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi programme.

"I have come here to see the Chief Electoral Officer about the strong complaint of the election office stopping our government's KALIA scheme for these farmers. This is most unfortunate as they have not stopped the agricultural scheme of the Central government," said Patnaik.

The BJD President said the scheme is very important for the farmers particularly during this season when they required those ones desperately.

"I am also disappointed to see that the BJP had complained to the EC about the KALIA scheme. The farmers will give them a befitting reply," he added.

On the other hand, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan lodged a complaint with the CEO about deteriorating law and order situation in Ganjam district, the home district of Naveen Patnaik.

"We met the CEO to express our apprehension about the deteriorating law and order situation in the home district of the Chief Minister. Some officials are working as political workers," said Pradhan.

Reacting to the Chief Minister's allegation on KALIA scheme, he said while PM Kisan has a budgetary allocation for the farmers, the state government has made no budgetary allocation in the KALIA scheme.

Moreover, the government has not submitted the list of beneficiaries to the CEO, he added.