Planning Commission to mull higher budgetary support to agriculture

27 Apr 2007

New Delhi: The Planning Commission will mull mull raising budgetary support to agriculture at itas meeting due tomorrow.

Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar today told the Rajya Sabha while answering supplementaries that budgetary support for agriculture had decreased during the past years and "we have been making a case for reversing that".

Pawar said that a group of ministers from six states under his chairmanship had submitted its final report (on the issue) which will be considered by the full Planning Commission tomorrow.

He said the prime minister had called a meeting of chief ministers on 29 May to discuss the report of the M S Swaminathan Commission on Agriculture Reforms.

Asked if government was contemplating a move to empower banks and financial institutions to take over land of farmers defaulting in payment of their loans, he said "there is no such proposal and even is there is a proposal, the government will not accept it."