NEW DELHI: The Union Agriculture Ministry has worked out an approximately Rs. 17,000-crore rehabilitation package for farmers in four States, where suicides were reported. This includes the Rs. 3,750-crore package announced for Vidharbha in Maharashtra in July.

The subsidy-cum-grant package includes interest waiver and rescheduling of loans for farmers in 16 districts of Andhra Pradesh, six of Karnataka and three of Kerala. It will be a total of 31 districts (including six in Maharashtra) from where the highest number of suicides has been reported.

The package is coming up for Cabinet approval on Thursday.

The Andhra Pradesh component includes about Rs. 10,500 crore for various interventions. For Karnataka, the package is for about Rs. 2,700 crore with an interest waiver of over Rs. 200 crore. For the three districts of Kerala, the package finalised is to the tune of about Rs. 850 crore with an interest waiver of over Rs. 350 crore, according to government sources.

The Kerala package does not include rehabilitation support for the additional districts of Alappuzha and Idukki sought by the Left Democratic Front. However, after last week's visit by Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Prime Minister's Principal Secretary T.K.A. Nair to the State, the two districts are also likely to get Central support in a separate package that is being worked out, say the sources.

Support for Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka will be on the lines of the Vidharbha package in terms of enhancing irrigation potential, rainwater harvesting, watershed development, drip irrigation, seed replacement, extension services, and diversification to horticulture, livestock, dairying and fisheries.

Focus in Kerala

For Kerala, the focus will be on rejuvenation of new plantations and cash crops, watershed development as well as income supplementary activities in livestock, fisheries and dairying.

Central schemes under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme, the National Employment Guarantee Scheme, the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund and Seed Replacement will be dovetailed into the package, to be implemented over three years.

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