Bhubaneswar: Odisha govt on Friday transferred Rs 833 crore to the bank accounts of 41.48 lakh small and marginal farmers and 13,949 landless agricultural households (Rs 2,000 each), under the fifth instalment of the CM-KISAN scheme, state’s flagship cash incentive scheme for farmers, while chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi and deputy CM Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo accused the opposition of misleading farmers on issues related to farm support and input availability.At a state-level programme held at OUAT’s Krushi Shiksha Sadan here, Majhi transferred the assistance directly through the DBT system. The assistance is expected to help beneficiaries buy seeds, fertilisers and pesticides ahead of the upcoming rabi season. Under the scheme, the state gives Rs 4,000 to each eligible farmers’ family in two instalments.Addressing farmers, Majhi said agriculture remains the backbone of Odisha’s economy and that the prosperity of farmers is central to the state’s development. He said, “CM-KISAN was aimed not only at providing financial assistance but also at recognising farmers’ contribution and making them more self-reliant.”He reiterated the govt’s focus on increasing farm incomes through diversification into allied activities such as animal husbandry, fisheries and millet cultivation. He said the govt was committed to doubling farmers’ income and highlighted measures such as procurement of paddy at Rs 3,100 per quintal under the Samruddha Krushak Yojana.Criticising the previous BJD govt’s record on agriculture, Majhi said farmers in Odisha saw little improvement in their incomes over the past two-and-a-half decades. Citing official data, he said the average monthly income of an agricultural household in Odisha stood at Rs 5,112 in 2022, the second-lowest in the country after Jharkhand. Many farmers, he said, were forced to continue farming under difficult circumstances with limited returns.Majhi also announced that the paddy registration deadline for the 2026-27 kharif procurement season had been extended till Sept 7. Referring to the recent floods in several districts, he said the state had earmarked a Rs 1,000-crore special assistance package for affected farmers and compensation would be released after assessment reports were received from field officials.Deputy CM and agriculture minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo said ministers and senior officials had visited flood-affected areas and assured farmers that no eligible beneficiary would be deprived of assistance. He also urged farmers not to believe “misleading claims” regarding fertiliser shortages, asserting that adequate stocks were available across the state.Revenue minister Suresh Pujari said Odisha had included damage caused by untimely rain in its disaster assistance framework, enabling affected farmers to receive compensation. More than 750 farmers attended the programme, which was simultaneously live streamed across all 30 districts.
