Guidelines amended for CCS on Agriculture Marketing infrastructure

New Delhi, July 20 (UNI) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) today gave its approval for modification in the Operational Guidelines of the Central Sector Scheme 'Development and Strengthening of Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure, Grading and Standardisation' to make the proposals more effective.

''With this approval, the State Agencies will be better enabled to take up infrastructure project from their own funds by dovetailing the subsidy under the scheme, without borrowing from the financial institution," Information and Broadcating Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi told newspersons here.

The Minister was briefing on the decisions of the Cabinet and CCEA this morning.

As result of the modifications, the The Hill states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, and Jammu and Kashmir will be entitled to higher subsidy for taking up marketing infrastructure projects at all places irrespective of the altitude, in the on-going scheme, benefitting producers at high altitudes who market their produce from projects located at lower altitude.

The following are the motification: (a) Existing Guidelines: Assistance under the scheme is credit linked and subject to sanction of intrastructure project by the specified banks based on economist activity and commercial considerations: Revised: Permit State government Agricultural Marketing Board and State agencies to utilise their funds in lieu of Bank loans for financing project under the scheme.

(b) Existing Guidelines: The rate of subsidy will be 25 per cent of the capital cost of the project. In case of North Eastern States, hilly areas (hilly area is defined as land situated 1,000 metres above mean sea level) and tribal areas and to entrepreneurs belonging to Scheduled Castes and Tribes and their co-operatives, the rate of subsidy will be 33.33 per cent of the capital cost of the project.

Revised: To utilise projects located in the hill states of Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir to be eligible for higher subsidies admissible for hill areas irrespective of the altitude at which a project may be located.

UNI GS PK ND1546