The central government has not excluded Kerala from its rubber subsidy programme, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman said.
The subsidy is given separately to traditional cultivation areas of Kerala and non-traditional cultivation areas, including the Northeast. The government has invited application for subsidies from the non-traditional cultivation areas in the first stage, the minister said, brushing aside a campaign that said the Union government has stopped subsidies to Kerala and other traditional cultivation areas.
Sitharaman explained the central government’s stand after a meeting with Kerala Finance Minister K.M. Mani and BJP’s Kerala president V. Muralidharan.
The central government has earmarked Rs 494.44 crore for new planting and replanting in traditional cultivation areas and Rs 230.55 crore for non-traditional areas. Subsidies have not been slashed for any state that comes under the traditional areas, the Union minister said.
Every state will receive the funds as decided in the 12th Five-Year Plan, she said.
The central government has allotted Rs 159.57 crore for 2012-13, Rs 175.64 crore for 2013-14 and Rs 191.79 crore for 2014-15. The centre would hand over Rs 203.14 crore for 2015-16, the minister said.
The central government’s policies were intended to encourage rubber cultivation. The government will continue to support Kerala’s rubber plantations, she said.
Mani said Kerala intends to plant rubber in 2 lakh hectares in addition to the existing acreage under cultivation. He also said the state government’s procurement of rubber was not delayed. Procedures related to the programme took three months to complete, he said.
The minister also urged the central government to allot Rs 500 crore for the support price subsidy programme the state government plans to launch in Kerala. The state government has earmarked Rs 300 crore for the programme.
Though the Rubber Board had submitted programmes of Rs 1,600 crore to be included in the 12th Plan ending 2016-17, the central government had agreed to only Rs 960 crore. Rs 750 crore had to be disbursed by 2015-16 but only Rs 630 crore has been handed over.
The remaining Rs 120 crore includes Rs 30 crore to be paid to farmers as dues for new planting and replanting. – Manoramaonline.com