Though the Government of India has announced a series of sops to the Tea industry in the Budget for the current financial year, industry sources said that it would be beneficial only if the funds are released on time. The Union Finance Minister, P Chidambaram, in the Budget, announced that an amount of Rs 40 crore would be provided for the special purpose tea fund for re-plantation and rejuvenation of the tea bushes. However, tea industry sources pointed out that the Government's decision would be beneficial for the industry only if the funds are released on time.