Bhubaneswar, Feb 12 (IANS): The Odisha government on Friday transferred Rs 1,272 crore to the accounts of over 53 lakh small and marginal farmers and landless agricultural labourers under the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme.

Each of the eligible beneficiaries got Rs 2,000 financial assistance through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.

Through video conferencing, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the transfer of the amount to the accounts of the beneficiaries under the KALIA scheme.

The Kalia Yojana was launched in 2019 to help small, marginal and landless farmers in agriculture and allied activities.

"While all areas of the economy were affected adversely during the Covid-19 lockdown, our farmers were able to revive the agriculture sector with their hard work. I salute their efforts," the Chief Minister said.

He said the state government has been demanding repeatedly that the central government double the minimum support price (MSP) of crops.

In addition, various programmes have been taken to strengthen the marketing infrastructure for agricultural products, he said.

On the occasion, the Chief Minister interacted with some farmers about the KALIA assistance.