Rs 700 crore to help bird flu-affected poultry owners

To assist bird flu-affected poultry owners get back on their feet, an amount of Rs 700 crore has been arranged for disbursal, of which Rs 100 crore is an outright grant and the rest bank loans.

The money will help poultry-owners make up for the loss they will incur before the three-month ban on poultry trade expires. The loss has been estimated to be Rs 500 crore, affecting seven lakh families, among which the small farmer has been the hardest hit.

State's Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta, who held a meeting with representatives of RBI, NABARD, various banks and Gramin Banks at Writers Buildings, said a decision had been taken to release a one-time grant of Rs 100 crore to the affected poultry farmers which would be given by the state government and the Centre.

Besides this, the banks also agreed to release Rs 600 crore as loans to poultry-owners living below the poverty line at four per cent interest rate.