Government working on rehabilitation package for Kerala

New Delhi, Aug 17 (UNI) The government today said it is working on a rehabilitation package for four districts in Kerala that are badly hit by an agrarian crisis on the lines of a similar move announced for Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

For implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP), 200 districts have been identified throughout the country in the first phase and the programme has been launched on February, 2006.

In a written reply to the Upper house, Minister of State for Planning M V Rajasekhran said districts of Wayanad and Palakkad have already been included in this list.

In the representation to the Planning Commission, the Kerala government has sought to include Idduki and Kasargod alongwith districts of Wayanad and Palakkad which have already been chosen in the first phase.

The Minister said since the selection of districts in the first phase is already over, inclusion of any other district can only be considered as and when the programme is extended in future.

On another question, the Minister said the centre has not agreed on the Rs 15,000 crore specialpackage for the 'distressed farmers'in Andhra Pradesh.

However in this context it is learnt that the Agriculture Ministry is working on the rehabilitation package for the identified districts of Andhra on the lines of that announced for the Vidarbha region.

UNI RT PK DS1406