Bhubaneswar: On the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya on Monday, the government transferred Rs 838.48 crore as financial assistance to 41.68 lakh farmers under the CM Kisan Yojana. Each farmer got Rs 2,000 per farmer. The scheme provides support twice a year, with the second installment disbursed on Nuakhai.Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi performed bhoomi puja at an agricultural land near the Central Rice Research Institute in Cuttack and carried out the Akshi Muthi ritual to mark state level farmers’ day. He later visited an agriculture exhibition and launched Ama Bihana Ratha and Krushi Ratha.The Ama Bihana Ratha (seeds on wheels) program aims to improve farmers’ access to quality seeds. In the first phase, mobile seed selling centers will operate in 31 blocks across 10 districts, supplying new paddy seed varieties in 5kg packets at the gram panchayat level.Dressed in traditional farmers’ attire, the chief minister said agriculture forms the backbone of Odisha’s economy, culture and prosperity, and noted the tradition of beginning the agricultural year with Akshi Muthi ritual on Akshaya Tritiya.Of the 41.68 lakh beneficiaries under CM Kisan Yojana, 41.24 lakh are small and marginal farmers, 41,049 belong to landless agricultural families and 3,292 are from tribal farming families.Majhi said the state’s agricultural growth rate has reached 5.3% within 22 months of the new government coming to power, surpassing the national average. He added that the state produced over 150 lakh metric tonnes of foodgrains this year.The CM said paddy is being procured at Rs 3,100 per quintal to ensure fair compensation to farmers. During the 2025-26 kharif season, 76.47 lakh metric tonnes of paddy was procured from 18.55 lakh farmers, with input assistance of Rs 5,589 crore provided.Under the Krushi Vidyanidhi Scholarship Scheme, children of farming families are being supported for technical and professional education. In the 2025-26 academic year, 68,910 students received over Rs 291.60 crore.
