The Hindu : Front Page : Tamil Nadu budget focusses on farmers, women

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Tamil Nadu budget focusses on farmers, women

R.K. Radhakrishnan

New crop loans of Rs.1,500 crore; 4 lakh SHGs for women to be formed

— Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

A SLEW OF MEASURES: Finance Minister K Anbazhagan presenting the State budget in the Assembly on Thursday.

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu budget for 2008-09 has proposed several measures for small farmers and women, including sanction of new crop loans of Rs.1,500 crore and formation of 4 lakh new self-help groups for women.

Also, 10,000 SHGs of farmers will be formed and the groups will be provided a total of Rs.10 crore as revolving fund.

Interlinking of rivers in the State, making Women’s Commission a statutory body, broadband internet for police stations, setting up of emergency trauma care centres, abolishing of special fees in schools, providing computers for the remaining government high schools and higher secondary schools, establishment of separate welfare boards for persons in the publishing industry, powerloom weavers and Narikoravas, setting up five new engineering and two new medical colleges, provision of Rs.2,000 crore for the rural employment guarantee scheme, addition of 3,500 new buses to the state transport corporation’s fleet and establishment of four more special economic zones are some of the schemes announced in the budget.

Government employees stand to gain considerably since they have been promised that the “government will examine the order of the [Sixth Pay Commission] and take expeditious action to issue orders.” There is also a hike in reimbursement of their medical expenses.

Revenue surplus budget

Presenting a revenue surplus budget, Finance Minister K. Anbazhagan said crop loans of Rs.1,250 crore were given in 2006-07. So far in the financial year 2007-08, the amount of loans disbursed stood at Rs.1,177 crore. In the coming financial year, this would be increased to Rs.1,500 crore. Also, interest on crop loans would be reduced from 5 to 4 per cent.

Mr. Anbazhagan was confident that food production in the State would cross the 100-lakh tonne mark this year. He urged the Centre to enhance the procurement price of paddy to Rs.1,000 per quintal. The State Cooperative Marketing Federation would procure pulses at support prices announced by the Centre to encourage its cultivation.

Crop insurance

The government allocated Rs. 40 crore to insure crops of 25 lakh farmers. “This is the first time that such a huge number is being covered,” Finance Secretary K. Gnanadesikan said later.

The government provided Rs.152 crore for the Tamil Nadu Agricultural Labourers Welfare Board, which now has 1.66 crore members. The concept of precision farming will be extended to all districts at a cost of Rs.64 crore. To preserve vegetables and fruits, cold storage facilities will be provided in 22 important farmers’ shandies by the Tamil Nadu State Agriculture Marketing Board.

Women SHGs in 200 villages will get 10,000 crossbred milch animals to augment their income and to further increase milk production. The scheme will be implemented over a two-year period at a cost of Rs.22 crore. Another 8 lakh free gas stoves and connections will be given away at a cost of Rs.160 crore. The government had decided to go by the recommendation of the village health nurse for giving financial aid under the Dr.Muthulakshmi Reddy Memorial Maternity Assistance Scheme. No income certificate will be required. Marriage assistance has been hiked from Rs.15,000 to Rs.20,000. The government will provide revolving funds amounting to Rs.150 crore to all the remaining 1.5 lakh SHGs. This will benefit 30 lakh women members of the groups.

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