Rs 17,000 cr package for farmers of AP, Karnataka, Kerala,Mah

New Delhi, Sep 29 (UNI) The Cabinet today approved a Rs 16,978.69 crore financial package for the rehabilitation of distressed farmers of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra to check the trend of suicides among them.

Of this, Andhra Pradesh will get about Rs 9,650 crore Kerala Rs 765 crore, Karnataka Rs 2,689 crore and Maharashtra Rs 3,873 crore, Finance Minister P Chidambaram told reporters.

In addition, separate packages would be worked out for Alapuzha and Idukki districts of Kerala which were not covered under today's decision taken at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The Rs 16,978.69 crore package consists of Rs 10,579.43 crore as subsidy and grants and Rs 6,399.26 crore as loan. The loan assistance of Rs 3,207.81 crore from Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) would be utilised for 2,565 minor irrigation schemes.

A total of Rs 832.81 crore would be extended under Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) for 13 medium irrigation projects, while Rs 5,697.48 crore under AIBP for 12 major irrigation projects.

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