Centra aid to boost State cotton crop

Centra aid to boost State cotton crop
SRAVANI SARKAR

NAGPUR, DEC 3: The State Government is set to receive about Rs 12.8 crores from the Union Ministry of Agriculture during the financial year 1999-2000, under the Mini Mission II of the Cotton Technology Mission which is likely to be approved by the Union Cabinet within a week.

The State will spend Rs 17 crores for development of cotton crop during the current financial year, adding its share of Rs 4.2 crores to the Union outlay.

The outlay of Rs 12.8 crores to the State is the largest chunk out of the total Rs 60 crore budget made by the Union Government for the Mini Mission II during the year 1999-2000. The total outlay for the Mini Mission II during the Ninth Five Year Plan is proposed at Rs 465 crore.

The State Government has already sent a detailed target plan of cotton development to the Union Ministry of Agriculture, listing the physical and financial targets based upon the utilisation of Rs 17 crores during the ongoing financial year, Dr S K Goyal, State Agriculture Commissioner, told TheIndian Express recently.

Dr Goyal was in the city to attend a workshop organised jointly by Central Institute for Cotton Research and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. The funds are expected soon, as only the formal approval of the Cotton Technology Mission from Union Cabinet is pending. The CTM will operate through three mini missions, of which the Mini Mission II will be implemented by the Union Department of Agriculture and Co-operation.