The Hindu Business Line : Kerala Cabinet decides to chalk out relief package for farmers

THE State Cabinet has decided to formulate a relief package for drought-hit farmers who are apprehensive of what holds after the six-month moratorium for loan recoveries announced earlier by the Sate Government.

Briefing newspersons here on the proceedings of a routine meeting, the Chief Minister, Mr A.K. Antony, said that the Finance Minister, Mr K. Sankaranarayanan, and the Cooperation Minster, Mr M.V. Raghavan, had been asked to thrash out the details of the package.

The farmers are worried if they would be able to get a fresh crop loan after the moratorium period and payment of interest thereof, if at all. The Government would like to remove their misgivings and the proposed package will address this issue in a comprehensive manner, Mr Antony said. The package would mainly deal with rescheduling of loans already extended, issue of fresh loans and other relief measures.

In the latest in the series of concessions to farmers, the Cabinet has approved the proposal to waive, for a period of one year, the basic land tax in the case of those who own two hectares and less. Officials have been directed to expedite the implementation of drought relief measures. According to the Chief Minister, the Government will deploy personnel from other departments in case the drought relief programme implementation is found to suffer from shortage of manpower.

Replying to a specific question, the Chief Minister said the Union Finance Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, who was here the last week, had assured him that the Centre would make available all possible assistance to ensure that the State managed to tide over the situation. He was hopeful that liberal help would be forthcoming without attracting the provisions of the code of conduct prescribed by the Election Commission.

On the issue of the multi-point sales tax regime that that has invited the wrath of the trading community, the Chief Minister said that the Finance Minister had been asked to discuss the issue with the traders.

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