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Mr P. Chidambaram

Our Correspondent

Amaravathi Pudur (Sivaganga), June 29 A total of 15 lakh farmers in Tamil Nadu will benefit to the tune Rs 5,000 crore under the agriculture debt waiver and debt relief scheme 2008, announced by the Government of India, said the Union Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, here on Sunday.

The identification and notification of the list of beneficiaries have been completed in 30 days and of this, 12 lakh are small and marginal farmers, he said while addressing a meeting after laying the foundation stone on a 10-acre site for the Rural Training Centre (RTC) to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 2.5 crore.

The Centre, hitherto functioning at Karaikudi in a rented building, was jointly promoted by Indian Overseas Bank, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) and Indian Bank in July 2005 to impart training to rural youth, both in farm and non-farm activities.

Speaking further, Mr Chidambaram said that old methods have not helped alleviate poverty and when new livelihood opportunities emerged to generate income for the people, they needed to be equipped through training, and the youth must be ready for the change. He appreciated the Rural Training Centre for imparting skills to 2,493 people in the last three years.

Speaking earlier, Mr U.C. Sarangi, Chairman, Nabard, said that Sivaganga district had a huge potential for dry land horticulture and suggested the promotion of joint liability farming to reap the benefits.

Mr S.K. Bhat, Chairman, Indian Overseas Bank, in his address, said that the bank had extended farm credit to the tune of Rs 7,820 crore during the year ended March 2008 and educational loans to 19,387 students to the tune of Rs 226.08 crore at an all-India level. In Sivaganaga district alone, educational loans touched Rs 4.69 crore covering 404 students in 2007-08, he added.

Mr M.S. Sundararajan, Chairman and Managing Director, Indian Bank, said that the bank’s notified beneficiaries under the loan waiver scheme were 2,70,000 covering an amount of Rs 551 crore at the all-India level while 1,76,791 farmers in Tami Nadu benefited to the tune of Rs 348.52 crore.

More Stories on : Farm credit | Tamil Nadu

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‘Rs 5,000-cr relief for 15 lakh TN farmers under debt waiver’

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