6 states ineligible for farm scheme

Six states and three union territories, including Delhi, have failed to meet the criteria under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) (national agriculture development scheme) for fund allocation, even as the Centre has more than doubled the assistance under the scheme to Rs 3,166 crore this fiscal.

The allocation of funds under the farm scheme was Rs 1,500 crore in 2007-08.

“As per the criteria to determine eligibility of states under RKVY during 2008-09, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Mizoram, Uttarakhand, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Delhi and Puducherry are ineligible for grants,” said an official source.

The eligibility for assistance under the scheme depends on the amount provided in state Plan budgets for agriculture and allied sectors, over and above the baseline percentage expenditure incurred by the states on these sectors.

Each state needs to ensure that the baseline share of agriculture in its total plan expenditure, excluding the assistance under the RKVY scheme, is maintained. The list of allied sectors, as indicated by the Planning Commission, would be the basis for determining sectoral expenditure.

According to the allocation suggested by the Planning Commission, Uttar Pradesh tops the chart of beneficiaries with a grant of Rs 425.49 crore in 2008-09, followed by Karnataka (Rs 366.59 crore) and Andhra Pradesh (Rs 325.92 crore).

However, the final allocation proposed by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation provides Rs 316.57 crore each to these three states.