Outstanding in retail portfolio at Rs 3.75 lakh cr

Outstanding loans in the retail portfolio have sharply risen by over Rs 1 lakh crore (Rs 1 trillion) to Rs 3.76 lakh crore (Rs 3.76 trillion) as on March 2006, Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

As against Rs 2.6 lakh crore (Rs 2.6 trillion) on March 2005, these outstanding loans rose to Rs 3.75 lakh crore (Rs 3 trillion) as on March 2006, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said in a written reply.

These loans had stood at Rs 1.89 lakh crore (Rs 1.89 trillion) as on March 2004, he said adding these included housing, consumer, credit car and auto loans.

Farmers' suicide: Government has provided relief package for 31 debt stressed districts in Maharashtra,

Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, Chidambaram said.

He attributed suicides to excessive borrowing from non-formal sources, social tension and continuous drought affect farm yield among other things.

Vaidhyanathan Committee: As many as 15 states and one Union Territory have so far conveyed their consent to implement the package recommended by the Vaidyanathan Committee on Co-operative Credit Structure, Chidambaram said.

Taj: A Rs 39.34 crore (Rs 393.4 million) project for 'Agra Revitalisation and Visitor Management for Taj Mahal' has been prepared, Tourism Minister Ambika Soni said.

The tourism ministry has sanctioned Rs 767,000 for it, she said.