New Delhi: The union cabinet has decided to continue with and replenish a dedicated fund for social and infrastructure development beyond the financial year ending March 31, an official said Thursday.

"The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved on Thursday the continuation of a dedicated fund called the Social and Infrastructure Development Fund beyond 2007-08. The programme commenced in last financial year 2006-0," government spokesperson Deepak Sandhu said after a meeting of the union cabinet's economic affairs committee here.

Sandhu said the fund will finance "the initiatives taken by the government towards social and infrastructure development".

She said these include upgrading 1,396 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), training of farmers, employment for physically challenged, means-cum-merit scholarships for the underprivileged, and ground water recharge.

Other initiatives provide for social security through death and disability insurance cover to rural landless households, and support to various institutes of historical, cultural, economic and agricultural significance.

Sandhu said: "In the current year 2007-08, an amount of Rs.60 billion will be transferred to the Social and Infrastructure Development Fund."