The Hindu : New Delhi News : Kuttanad package gets approval

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 27, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Kuttanad package gets approval

Special Correspondent

Rs. 1,840 crore to tide over farm crisis

Rs. 50 crore to
be released
immediately
Funds to be disbursed over
next three years

NEW DELHI: The Kuttanad region in Kerala was on Wednesday sanctioned a special Rs.1,840-crore package to tide over the agrarian crisis facing the ‘rice bowl’ of the State.

While Rs.50 crore will be given to the State immediately, the remaining amount will be disbursed over the next three years of the Eleventh Five Year Plan.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting convened by the Union Agriculture Ministry to decide the long-pending demand of Kerala for Central assistance to address the crisis facing the farming community of the Kuttanad region.

The meeting was attended by officials of the Union Water Resources Ministry, Union Environment Ministry, Union Finance Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office. Kerala was represented by its Agricultural Production Commissioner K. Jayakumar.

In effect, the Centre has accepted the recommendations of the National Commission on Farmers headed by agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan.

Report needed

To get the remaining component of the package, the State government will have to submit a report detailing its plans to re-energise the agrarian economy of the region.

Also, it was decided that Kuttanad would get a fair deal of assistance from the Rs.25,000-crore Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.

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