Agriculture
28 Feb 2006
1
Irrigation
- Outlay of Rs4,500 crore under AIBP in 2005-06, with grant component of Rs1,680 crore.
- States expected to spend Rs2,520 crore from their resources.
- Outlay for 2006-07 increased to Rs7,121 crore, with grant of Rs2,350 crore.
- Command Area Development Programme to be revamped to allow participatory irrigation management through water users' associations.
- 20,000 water bodies with a command area of 1.47 million hectares identified in the first phase for repair, renovation and restoration. Estimated cost: Rs4,481 crore.
Credit
- Farm credit increased to Rs125,309 crore in 2004-05; expected to cross target of Rs141,500 crore for 2005-06; will increase to Rs175,000 crore in 2006-07, with addition of 50 lakh farmers.
- Banks asked to open a separate window for self-help groups or joint liability groups of tenant farmers.
- One-time relief to be granted to farmers who have availed of a crop loan from scheduled commercial banks, RRBs and PACs for kharif and rabi 2005-06. An amount equal to two percentage points of the borrower's interest liability on the principal up to Rs100,000 to be credited to his/her bank account before March 31, 2006. Rs1,700 crore provided for this purpose.
- Farmers to receive short-term credit at 7 per cent, with an upper limit of Rs300,000 on the principal amount, from kharif 2006-07. Subvention for this to be given to NABARD.
- Sanctions under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF XI) at Rs7,301 crore as on January 31, 2006. Corpus for RIDF XII to increase to Rs10,000 crore.
- Specified projects under PPP model to be allowed to access RIDF funds.
- Separate window for rural roads with a corpus of Rs4,000 crore during 2006-07.
Agricultural insurance
- National Agricultural Insurance Scheme to continue.
Plantation sector
- Special-purpose Tea Fund to be set up. Expected contribution of Rs100 crore in 2006-07.
Micro finance
- 801,000 self-help groups (SHGs) credit-linked in two years. Credit of Rs4,863 crore disbursed. Another 385,000 SHGs to be credit-linked in 2006-07.
- NABARD to open a line of credit for financing farm production and investment activities through SHGs.
- Committee to be appointed on financial inclusion.
Horticulture and fisheries
- Terminal markets to be setup on PPP model. Rs150 crore earmarked in 2006-07 under National
- Horticulture Mission.
- Central Institute of Horticulture to be established in Nagaland.
- National Fisheries Development Board to be constituted.
