Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today informed the State Assembly regarding the welfare initiative for kendu leaf workers.
As per the announcement, the government will provide a benefit of Rs. 52.63 crore at a rate of 25% to 8,59,449 kendu leaf pluckers for the 2024 kendu leaf crop year. Notably, 83.92% of the beneficiaries are women, the CM said.
In addition to this, the government will also provide incentives to cotton harvesters. An amount of Rs. 1.94 crore at a rate of 5% will be given to 20,502 cotton harvesters, and Rs. 4.99 crore at a rate of 5% to 16,754 cotton harvesters.
The benefits will be directly transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system. To implement the Chief Minister’s Mukhyamantri Kendu Patra Tolali Yojana successfully, a provision of Rs. 50.00 crore has been made through the “Mukhyamantri Kendu leaf Welfare Fund” in the financial year 2024-25.