GRANT OF LOANS AND ADVANCES TO AGRICrLTVRTSTS. 81 



officers. In districts in which agricultural banks may be succesfully 

 established, it may be possible to utilize their agency in the distribu- 

 tion of takavi, or even to make advances to the banks on their own 

 security for the purpose of agricultural i improvements. 



206. Procedure in time of famine. Our observations have, so far, 

 been confined to the administration of the iaJcavi system in ordinary 

 times. In times of famine, large departures will, of course, have to 

 be made from the ordinary rules. It is unnecessary here to say 

 more than that, we entirely approve the system followed in recent 

 famines, from 1896-97 onwards, in accordance with which very 

 large sums were advanced for private irrigational improvements, and 

 extraordinary concessions were made. There can be no doubt that, 

 in addition to the actual help derived from the advances, a valu- 

 able stimulus was given to the execution of improvements out of un- 

 aided or only partially aided private resources. The only point on 

 which we have to offer advice is that, the greatest care should be 

 taken in famine times to have the advances given out early. The 

 authorities should begin offering the advances some time before it 

 has become certain that the impending scarcity will develop into 

 famine. For each district a sum based upon experience of require- 

 ments in previous famines should be fixed beforehand ; and authority 

 to disburse up to that sum should be given to heads of districts by 

 the Local Governments as soon as they are satisfied that the emer- 

 gency has arisen which would justify such a measure. The grant 

 of such authorization would be reported at once to the Supreme 

 Government as a warning of the financial provision likely to be 

 required. In this way the delays incurred, at an important crisis, 

 in the preparation of detailed estimates requiring a number of reports 

 from the local officials, would be avoided. But these estimates could, 

 of course, be prepared subsequently at comparative leisure. Small 

 and temporary irrigation works are those which are likely to be most 

 useful on the occurrence of famine, and all permanent allotments 

 should be at once diverted to these, so far as is possible within the 

 district. 



207. Special concessions in famine tracts. We have discussed 

 above the methods by which the takavi system may be utilized for the 

 development of private irrigation works. But we are convinced that, 

 if progress is to be made at the full rate attainable with benefit to the 

 country, still greater concessions will have to be made in tracts 



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