Bhubaneswar: As many as 2.66 lakh ineligible beneficiaries have so far been identified under the state’s flagship KALIA scheme, said Agriculture Minister Arun Sahoo here today.

Speaking to mediamen, the Minister said while 72 per cent of the scrutiny has been completed, 2.66 lakh enlisted beneficiaries have so far been found ineligible.

“Nodal officers were engaged at Panchayat, block and district levels for verification of the KALIA beneficiary list. Till date, 72 per cent of the verification has been completed. Out of 36.88 lakh verified farmers, 2.66 lakh were found ineligible. We will let you know the exact figure once the verification is completed by August 31,” the Minister said.

Besides, the Panchayat-level nodal officers have been strictly instructed to ensure inclusion of left-out genuine beneficiaries and strictly check the fake ones.

Worth mentioning, taking cognizance of allegations regarding inclusion of ineligible beneficiaries under the farmers’scheme, the state Government had on August 6 announced to exclude the fake ones.