Commodity Online
LONDON : The total amount announced on bailout packages so far is nearing the $ 3 trillion mark which is about three times the size of Indian economy, analysts said.

Continuing a spate of billion-dollar rescue plans, the UK administration last week came up with a mammoth 500 billion pounds bailout package and is expected to announce further 45 billion pound primarily to shore up the fortunes of the nation's banking sector.

Earlier, the US government had moved the historic $ 700 billion rescue plan, in response to the deepening credit crisis which has seen the fall of Wall Street icons like Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual and the distressed sale of Merrill Lynch.

Till date, the Bush administration alone has announced bailout packages to the tune of over $ 990 billion.

Further, joining the likes of US and UK, Russia has approved a host of measures estimated to be worth $ 86 billion to salvage the country's banks hit by the credit squeeze.

Russian Parliament Duma has given the green signal for the billion- dollar rescue plan.

It would entail making about $ 50 billion available to banks and firms which have to refinance foreign debt; the remaining amount would be given as loans to banks.

Besides, a handful of European countries have also already announced packages worth a similar amount in efforts to save their troubled financial entities.

There are expectations for more such instances of helping hands coming from the governments in Europe as the crisis is said to be fast spreading in the region after a full-blown blast in the US.