Kerala seeks Central assistance to meet crisis

Thiruvananthapuram, June 10 : The Kerala Government will submit a memorandum to the Planning Commission within three days seeking assistance under specific schemes to meet the crisis in the state's farm sector, especially in Wynad district.

Emerging from talks with a three-member Planning Commission team led by R Bandopadhyaya, Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac and Agriculture Minister Mulakkara Retnakaran told mediapersons here that Kerala would be seeking assistance from the National Calamity Contingency Fund as well as under specific schemes like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP) to tide over the situation.

They said Kerala was yet to get any fund under the NREGP while states like Rajasthan was allotted Rs 400 crore under the scheme.

Kerala would also seek funds for implementation of crop insurance and schemes aimed at ensuring stable prices for agiculture produce.

They said their discussion with the Planning Commission team, which was deputed to study the problems faced by Wynad district where 321 debt-ridden farmers committed suicide, was "positive" and expressed the hope that it would make recommendations favourable to the state.

The team will have discussion with Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan tomorrow.

Mr Retnakaran said Wynad district, one of the most backward areas in the state, had suffered maximum crop loss during the severe drought of 2004.

Due to the Exim policy and removal of quantitative restrictions, there was big price fall of agricultural commodities in the state except rubber, he said.

UNI