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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Feb. 18

THE National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has offered to extend higher assistance to various projects in Kerala.

Apart from agriculture development projects, Nabard will make financial aid available to other projects such as rural drinking water schemes, construction of school buildings, rural healthcare programmes and development of small ports.

This emerged at a meeting between the Chief Minister, Mr A.K. Antony, and the Nabard Chairman, Mr Y.C. Nanda, here on Monday.

Of the proposals worth Rs 265.67-crore submitted by the State Government to Nabard in the current financial year, assistance to the tune of Rs 142 crore has so far been made available, according to officials.

The balance amount will be disbursed as and when the Government submits the proposals. During the year, projects in the areas of tourism and fisheries have yet to be submitted.

At the meeting, the Nabard officials also offered to extend assistance to financially viable schemes of the panchayats. This was for the first time in the country that Nabard had come forward to assist projects of panchayats, the officials said.

It may be recalled that Nabard had suspended extending assistance to the State at the instance of Reserve Bank of India during the tenure of the previous Government. This followed diversion of funds to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore from the cooperative sector to the treasury.

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