PM announces Rs 3,750-crore relief package for Vidarbha farmers

Nagpur, Jul 1 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today announced a Rs 3,750-crore relief package for the distressed farmers of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra and said similar help would be extended to Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.

Besides, the Centre would shortly form a Group of Experts to examine the problem of agricultural indebtedness in the country and to suggest relief measures, Dr Singh said.

Dr Singh announced the package at a press conference here towards the end of his two-day tour of the region undertaken to assess the problems of the farmers in Vidarbha.

The Prime Minister said the package included immediate waiver of Rs 712 crore of overdue interest on agricultural loans, allocation of Rs 2,177 crore for improving irrigation facilities, Rs 240 crore for watershed development as well as water harvesting schemes, Rs 225 crore for the implementation of National Horticulture Mission, Rs 180 crore for quality seed replacement programme, Rs 135 crore for encouraging subsidiary income for farmers, Rs 78 crore for micro-irrigation and Rs 3 crore for extension services.

In addition to the package, Rs 1,296 crore would be allocated for restructuring agricultural loans, Rs 1,275 crore would be released as additional farm credit during the current financial year, and Rs 3 crore to be released from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) as ex-gratia assistance to the distressed farmers, he added.

These measures would be implemented in the six districts of Vidarbha- Buldhana, Akola, Washim, Amravati, Yavatmal and Wardha- which are worst hit by the agrarian crisis, Dr Singh said, adding that he would himself monitor the implementation of the package through a special cell in his office.

Similar packages would be worked out for 16 districts of Andhra Pradesh, six districts of Karnataka and three districts of Kerala where the incidence of farmers' suicides was very high, he said.

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