Vidarbha Agrarian Crisis PMPackage Review ?

Chief Minister Deshmukh to review Prime Minister Vidarbha Farmers' packages in Yavatmal ?
[10 May, 2007 l 0421 hrs ISTl Ramu Bhagwat lTIMES NEWS NETWORK]

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Nagpur/CM_to_review_farmers_packages_in_Yavatmal/articleshow/2024327.cms

NAGPUR: During his day-long Vidarbha visit on Saturday next, chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh is scheduled to review implementation of the special relief packages for farmers in Yavatmal district, considered to be ground zero of the region's suicide belt.

In the last six years, over 800 farmers have ended their lives in the district.

Once the prime cotton growing district with the largest area under its cultivation, now largest number of suicides are reported from there among the six cotton growing districts of the region.

Through the special package announced by prime minister Manmohan Singh on July 1 last and the CM's package unveiled months before that, over 12 lakh farmers in the six distressed districts were promised a relief of over Rs 5000 crore.

Even as a controversy is raging after joint secretary (relief and rehabilitation) Praveen Shrivastav's filing of an affidavit claiming poor funds flow, the official website of the relief mission (Vasantrao Naik Shetkari Swawalamban Mission) indicates that only about Rs 38 crore of the promised funds for loan waiver to farmers has been released by the Centre.

The chart in the website claims it is updated up to April 30. However, VNSS director general and Amravati divisional commissioner Sudhir Goel told ToI that the balance amount of around Rs 350 crore was credited by March 31 and he was informed about it during meeting on Tuesday in New Delhi with the PMO officials.

While Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti convener Kishor Tiwari alleged that funds flow continued to be very poor on irrigation projects as well as quality seeds distribution programme under the package, Goel said the state had spent the targeted amount and was to reimbursed by the Centre. He denied that package implementation was suffering for want of funds.