Plan for new interest subsidy scheme called the Accelerated Rural Electrification Programme

An outlay of Rs 164 crore has been provided for this scheme in 2002-03.

Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, in the Union Budget for 2002-03 presented to Parliament today, said that in the last budget he had announced a package of initiatives for electrification of 80,000 villages that have no access to electricity.

Considering the fact that SEBs find it difficult to service debt, the government proposes to introduce a new interest subsidy scheme called the Accelerated Rural Electrification Programme. An outlay of Rs 164 crore has been provided for this scheme in 2002-03.

The Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) announced by the Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech of 2001 was launched on September 25, 2001 by merging the ongoing Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS) and the Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana (JGSY). Since the launch of the scheme, release of 30.6 lakh tonnes of food grains to States has already been authorised, out of the 50 lakh tonnes allocated. This scheme will be continued next year. Sinha has urged all the States to come forward to take full advantage of the free foodgrains being offered under this scheme.

Lok Nayak Shri Jai Prakash Narayan always had a special concern for the disadvantaged. In his birth centenary year Sinha has proposed to launch the Jai Prakash Rozgar Guarantee Yojana (JPRGY) to provide employment guarantee to the unemployed in the most distressed districts of the country.

A Task Force headed by the Minister of Rural Development, will be set up to design and implement a massive programme for employment generation in these districts. KVIC, DC (SSI), and other agencies will be fully involved in the implementation of this scheme.

The promotion of rural industrialisation would be helped greatly through capacity building and technology upgradation in Khadi and Village Industries. To help in this effort, Sinha has proposed to upgrade the Wardha Institute started by Mahatma Gandhi in 1935 as a national institute to be called Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Rural Industrialisation.

The diversification of agriculture will not succeed without appropriate infrastructure for marketing. For this purpose, rural local bodies, cooperatives and NGOs will be assisted to set up rural produce marketing centres and sub-centres at the district and block levels and to upgrade village haats under a special scheme of the Swaran Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SJGSY).

Some parts of the country have been particularly afflicted with natural calamities. Additional allocation of Rs 480 crore was provided under the Indira Awas Yojana for the affected States. Houses constructed by the poor under the Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) in such disaster prone areas will henceforth be provided insurance cover through a Master Policy.

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