VOA常速英语2008年-India to Spend Billions of Dollars to Help Farm

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
29 February 2008

The Indian government says it will spend billions of dollars to help farmers and revive the rural economy. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, the promise comes ahead of general elections scheduled for next year.

 

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram told parliament Friday that the government will write off the debts of 30 million small farmers, and he promised financial aid to another 10 million farmers.

 

Presenting the country's annual budget, Chidambaram said - amid applause from lawmakers - that the loan waivers will cost the government $15 billion.

 

"For marginal farmers and small farmers there will be a complete waiver of all loans, that were overdue¹ on December 31, 2007, and which remained unpaid² until February 29, 2008. In respect of other farmers there will be one-time settlement scheme," the minister explained.

 

India's farm sector³ has been facing a near crisis situation, and agricultural growth is expected to slow down to a 2.6 percent increase over the previous year. Hundreds of farmers, faced with mounting debts, are reported to have committed suicide in recent years.

 

The sweeping⁴ debt amnesty is being seeing as a bid by the Congress Party-led government to win support of rural voters ahead of next year's general elections.

 

When the government came to power in 2004, it had promised to make economic growth more inclusive and spread the benefits of India's growing economy to the impoverished⁵ countryside. But tens of millions of people continue to live in poverty.

 

The finance minister also announced significant increases in spending on such social sectors⁶ as education and health.

 

He said the government should keep an eye on inflation, due to higher global prices of crude oil, food and other commodities.

 

"All these trends are inflationary. There is pressure on domestic prices, especially the prices of food articles," Chidambaram said. "Consequently, the management of the supply side of food articles will be the most crucial task in the ensuing year."

 

The finance minister said the economy is slowing marginally: it is expected to grow at eight-point-seven percent this financial year, compared to nine-point-six percent last year.

 

The slower growth is attributed to a rise in interest rates that the government implemented⁷ in the last year in order to check inflation.

 

Despite the slower growth, India's economy continues to be the second-fastest-growing in the world.

1 overdue   

adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的

参考例句：

• The plane is overdue and has been delayed by the bad weather.飞机晚点了，被坏天气耽搁了。
• The landlady is angry because the rent is overdue.女房东生气了，因为房租过期未付。

2 unpaid   

adj.未付款的，无报酬的

参考例句：

• Doctors work excessive unpaid overtime.医生过度加班却无报酬。
• He's doing a month's unpaid work experience with an engineering firm.他正在一家工程公司无偿工作一个月以获得工作经验。

3 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

4 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

5 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句