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Chandy, Chennithala to visit Delhi

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Ramesh Chennithala will meet Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Monday to brief them about the extent of damages suffered by farmers in unseasonal rain.

Mr. Chandy said he would also meet Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to discuss the need to re-modify the loan waiver scheme for farmers in the State. He said the majority of farmers had either repaid their loans or had them rescheduled or had taken fresh loans to settle old debts.

If the Centre failed to amend the scheme, these farmers, who were prompt in servicing their debt, would not benefit.

The two Congress leaders would also meet the Agriculture Minister to seek more assistance for Kerala to help paddy cultivators overcome the current crisis.

Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran will be in Delhi to officially take up the State’s case for more assistance.

The Minister will also seek to sort out the issue relating to the release of funds under the Calamity Contingency Fund. According to government sources, the State will seek assistance from this fund which is available to States to provide relief owing to unexpected natural calamities.

Mr. Rajendran said he would meet the Home Minister and the Defence Minister .

Nationalist Congress Party State president K. Muraleedharan has also left for New Delhi to seek the Union Agriculture Minister’s intervention in getting Kerala a higher allocation of funds to provide relief to the farmers.

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