NELLORE: Children of debt-stressed farmers in 16 select districts of the State will soon get financial assistance to the tune of Rs. 8 crores from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.

And the support for each district__ Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur, Chittoor, Anantapur, Kurnool, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Mahabubnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Ranga Reddy, Warangal and Kadapa will be to the tune of Rs. 50 lakhs.

"The Prime Minister's Office has already sent a letter to the Chief Secretary directing district Collectors concerned to open a special bank account in nationalised banks to receive the allocated amount from the National Relief Fund," District Revenue Officer (DRO) B L Chennakeshava Rao told reporters on Thursday. The official said that the assistance would be extended to children of the needy, debt-stressed farmers primarily for education and health-related needs based on guidelines. Assistance for each beneficiary would not exceed Rs. 10,000. The local panchayat or municipality will shortlist the number of beneficiaries, he said.

Bank account opened

"We have already opened a bank account in the State Bank of India to receive the assistance. And division level committees comprising Revenue Divisional Officer, deputy Superintendent of Police and the assistant Director of Agriculture department will identify beneficiaries based on the detailed guidelines, which the administration is yet to receive from the PMO," he said.

The total number of districts selected for receiving the relief from PM's National Relief Fund is 31 across the country. The DRO said that the total number of suicides in the district since 2004 were put at 78. The district administration had already distributed Rs. 1.5 lakh for each of the affected family.

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