Shimla – Himachal Pradesh has sought special consideration in state-wise allocations made by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu urging separate norms for hill states. He said factors such as forest cover, greening initiatives and ecological contributions must be included while deciding allocations for the 11 hill states.
The Chief Minister raised the demand during a meeting with NABARD’s Deputy Managing Director Goverdhan Singh Rawat, who called on him at his Shimla official residence on Saturday. Sukhu appreciated NABARD’s Regional Office for strengthening coordination with the State Government and ensuring quick resolution of critical issues.
He asked NABARD to consider ground-mounted solar projects as eligible for funding under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), pointing out that such projects would enable Panchayats to achieve energy self-sufficiency and advance the State Government’s vision of a ‘Green Himachal.’ He also sought the inclusion of electric buses under RIDF support.
Sukhu further requested NABARD’s assistance to the State Planning Department in building robust supply and value chains in fisheries and animal husbandry, ensuring smooth delivery from farm gate to the consumer. Such interventions, he said, would help enhance farmers’ income. He also pressed for reforms in long-standing procedures by granting state governments more flexibility to make project-specific changes during the execution of NABARD-approved programmes.
During the meeting, NABARD officers flagged challenges faced by cooperative societies due to Section 118 provisions, which limit their functioning. They suggested assigning milk procurement tasks to Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS) instead of creating new societies and stressed the need to expedite PACS computerisation.
The Chief Minister assured that all suggestions would be carefully examined and, if practical, incorporated into the state’s development strategy. “Our government is open to innovative ideas that contribute to sustainable growth and rural prosperity,” he said. NABARD officials assured him that his proposals would be considered at the highest level and efforts would be made to include them in future guidelines.
