The Andhra Pradesh regional office of Nabard (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) has sanctioned Rs 28.5 crore as part of its sustainable livelihood support programme.
The amount would be used to support horticulture initiatives of 6,309 tribal families in nine districts of the state. It would be implemented as 12 new ‘Maa Thota’ projects and would cover the entire range of operations from pit-digging to marketing of fruit, according to an official release.
Of the sanctioned amount, Rs 26.1 crore is in the form of a grant while Rs 2.4 crore is loan. The seven-year programme would be implemented in Anantapur, Chittoor, Guntur, Karimnagar, Khammam, Medak, Mehboobnagar, Nalgonda and Vizianagaram districts.
P Mohanaiah, chief general manager, Nabard (AP), said in a release that another 12 similar projects were being contemplated for the state during the current financial year.