The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has sanctioned Rs 229.63 crore to the Andhra Pradesh government under RIDF (Rural Infrastructure Development Fund)- XVII to finance the Andhra Pradesh Micro-Irrigation Project (APMIP), which is being implemented through the horticulture department in the state.
With this, Nabard has so far sanctioned Rs 1,346 crore to the state government during 2011-12, surpassing the initial normative allocation of Rs 880 crore.
The RIDF loan of Rs 229.63 crore was sanctioned for providing micro-irrigation facilities in 114,000 hectare of cultivated land, benefiting 697,631 farmers in 22 districts.
The micro-irrigation facilities include drip-online as well as inline, micro and mini sprinklers, rain guns and semi-permanent sprinklers.
The project, which is the largest micro-irrigation project sanctioned by Nabard under RIDF, is likely to increase the state GDP by Rs 287 crore. It also envisages creation of 34,200 mandays and non-recurring employment of 6.1 million mandays, Nabard said in the release.
