World Bank okays 1,332 Crore loan for UP

Monday, 08 June 2009, 14:35 IST   |    3 Comments
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Lucknow: The World Bank has given its nod to a whopping 1,332 crore (13.32 billion) soft loan for reclamation of sodic land in Uttar Pradesh - a move that will help an estimated 250,000 farmers. Making the announcement at a press conference here Sunday, Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh said, "The scheme would help reclaim a huge chunk of about 130,000 hectares of sodic land in the state." The scheme, an extension of two previous phases of a similar exercise undertaken in the state, will benefit an estimated 250,000 farmers, he said. "At least 43 percent of the beneficiaries would be marginal farmers, of which a larger chunk would be Dalits." The state government has also finalised a large-scale afforestation programme aiming to plant 55 million trees.
Source: IANS