Rs 782 crore reportedly went to 'ineligible beneficiaries', states CAG in a report on the farmers support scheme that allegedly aided BJD in winning the 2019 Odisha polls.
Payment of Rs 107.64 crore was disbursed to 1.28 lakh account holders, whose names did not match the beneficiaries', indicating unauthorized payments, as per the audit report.
Arpit Pattnaik
A report from the Comptroller and Auditor General has revealed that 12.72 lakh "ineligible beneficiaries" received assistance worth Rs 782.26 crore under the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme in Odisha. The scheme is credited with helping the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) win the 2019 Odisha elections.
According to the report, the state government provided KALIA benefit assistance to 65.64 lakh beneficiaries during 2019-21. However, it was found that 9.76 lakh ineligible beneficiaries were identified during the implementation of the scheme. In addition to this, another 2.96 lakh ineligible beneficiaries were identified through analysis of the KALIA database and other databases. This brought the total number of identified ineligible beneficiaries to 12.72 lakh. The CAG stated that there were "remote chances of recovery" of the amount from the ineligible beneficiaries.
The report also found that Rs 107.64 crore was released to 1.28 lakh account holders whose names differed from the names of the beneficiaries, indicating payment to unauthorized persons.
The KALIA scheme, aimed at assisting farmers, sharecroppers, and landless agricultural laborers, was initially promised to provide Rs 10,000 to farmers and Rs 12,500 to landless agricultural laborers annually. However, after the launch of the PM-Kisan scheme by the central government, the assistance was reduced to Rs 4,000.
The report also highlighted that the state government department responsible for implementing the scheme did not provide complete databases of the KALIA portal and other databases used in the selection and identification of beneficiaries despite repeated requests.
Furthermore, out of the total disbursement of Rs 9,333 crore, an amount of Rs 2,060.29 crore pertaining to the year 2021-22 disbursed by the department could not be analyzed due to the absence of data and information.
The report concluded that due to a lack of preparedness, the department did not ensure the feasibility of implementing all six components under the KALIA scheme approved by the government. Only two components – support to cultivators for cultivation and livelihood support for landless agricultural households – were implemented during 2018-21.
