NABARD disburses Rs 1981 cr as loan in 2017-18

DAINIK NATION BUREAU

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Uttarakhand Regional Office, has disbursed Rs 1,981 crore as loans in 2017-18. It was 3.88 per cent more than the year 2016-17. One Rural Haat and 4 Rural Marts were set at the initiative of NABARD during 2017-18 for which a total of Rs 19.34 lakhs were sanctioned

Interacting with media at NABARD Regional office, Dehradun Chief Regional Office DN Magar said the bank had been fast expanding its activities in agriculture and rural development sector taking rural infrastructure on top of its priority.

It was for the first time that as many as 500 villages in each district of Uttarakhand had been taken up for save-water sensitisation programme in the state. “This programme held much importance and was part of nationwide exercise taking into account the challenge of acute water scarcity being faced by the rural areas in the country”.

Magar apprised that as part of food processing fund, NABARD provided assistance to the tune of Rs 36 crore for the two food processing plants that have come in the state. He apprised that a total of 108 kisan clubs had been set up in the state in the last financial year towards ensuring a smooth transfer of technology.
In a bid to help farmers, we have provided loans of Rs 719 crore on concessional interest to farmers. These loans were provided with maximum interest rate of 7 per cent. Five projects were supported in the sphere of watershed management in 2017-18.

Replying on media query, Magar said a project on Climate Smart Farming technique had been started in the Champawat district that will help as many as 10 villages of Khetikhan area of the district.