New Delhi, Feb 29: Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram today announced a loan waiver for about four crore farmers while presenting his Budget proposals for fiscal 2008-09. This relief is expected to help the government deal with its current agrarian crisis.

The Finance Minister also said that Rs 300 crore will be allocated for a desalination plant in Chennai and national irrigation projects will get 20, 000 crore rupees.

Chidambaram also said that the minority community dominated areas would get 228 new bank branches in next fiscal and they would also get preference in getting jobs in paramilitary forces. The Minority Ministry will get 1, 000 crore rupees.

The minister said that 11, 460 crore will be allocated for women and child development schemes, 11, 000 crore rupees will be allocated for plantation development programmes and 16, 000 crore rupees will be given to employment generation schemes.

Soil testing labs will be set up in 250 districts across the country, 50 crore rupees will be allocated for weather based crop insurance schemes, said Chidambaram. (ANI)