A sum of ₹170 crore was provided to 3.41 lakh ineligible persons under the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme, the Odisha government has found.
The money was transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries under the scheme that was conceived and implemented before the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the State.
Although one member of a family was eligible for getting benefits under the scheme, the government found that three lakh people belonged to families with multiple beneficiaries. Besides, fake beneficiaries under the scheme included 20,000 government employees and pensioners, 12,000 big farmers and 9,000 minor boys and girls.
The government had started the process of verification in the first week of August to exclude ineligible beneficiaries and include the deserving families.
Refund plan
Giving details of the verification exercise, Agriculture Minister Arun Kumar Sahoo told journalists on Tuesday that big farmers who had been paid assistance would be encouraged to refund the money.
As for the three lakh ineligible beneficiaries, Mr. Sahoo said the assistance released to them would be adjusted in the subsequent instalments that would be extended to their families under the scheme.
The government employees and pensioners who had received assistance will be asked to refund the amount or else the amount will be deducted from their salary/pension, said Mr. Sahoo.
The Minister further said that any genuine beneficiary who feels that he or she has been wrongly excluded can apply online through the website kalia.co.in with complete documents and steps for inclusion will be taken after verification of the papers.