Dr. Shrikant Baldi, Principal Secretary, Planning & Finance, complimented National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for achieving 100 percent financial and credit inclusion in the State and also for the Plan Paper which focussed the role of credit as also non-credit inputs for development of the State.
Dr. Baldi was presiding over the State Credit Seminar for the Financial Year 2012-13 organised by NABARD here today. He also released the State Focus Paper for 2012-13 prepared by NABARD. Dr. Baldi advised banks to enhance credit flow suitably to agriculture, as the percentage contribution of agriculture and allied sectors in the total State Domestic Product had witnessed a declining trend. He sought active association of NABARD and other banks in generating employment opportunities by focussing on investment credit. He said that agriculture and allied sectors have not grown as per the pace it should do, adding that every department needs to think over the measures for increasing the income and growth of the farmers and look for achieving sustainable growth in priority sectors. He said that farmers need to be convinced that investment is necessary for increasing crop productivity.
Naresh Gupta, Chief General Manager, HP Regional Office, NABARD complimented the State Government for its pro-active socio-economic developmental initiatives and also the effective coordination between banks and the government machinery. He said that the State Focus Paper presents overview of rural scenario and the exploitable potential available in the State for credit flow through the banking system, with particular focus on agriculture sector. He said that the gaps in infrastructure, such as in the irrigation, roads, animal husbandry and fisheries etc. had been identified and suggestions and action points have been made for the banks and the departments, the implementation of which would enable achieving enhanced credit flow by banks to the priority sectors. He said that the State Focus Paper would form the basis of annual credit plan for 2012-13 to be prepared by banks for the State.
Gupta said that the State Focus Paper (SFP) is based on the Potential Linked Plans (PLPs) for each of the Districts in the state. He said that (SFP) had identified the highest potential for crop loans within the agriculture sector amounting to Rs. 1741.81 crore which represents 54.24 percent of the potential for the agriculture sector in view of the emphasis to issue Kissan Credit Cards to the farmers by the banks. He said that Rs. 1469.16 crore had been envisaged as Term Loan for various investments credit activities in agriculture which was 33 percent more than the target in the Annual Credit Plan for 2011-12. He said that the SFP would form the basis of Annual Credit Plan for 2012-13. He advised banks that the major challenge was to enhance the CD Ratio & to achieve the potential assessed by NABARD. He presented a brief overview of the State Focus Paper.
Directors of various departments, senior officers & representatives from the State Government, RBI, NABARD, SLBC, Commercial Banks, Cooperative Banks, and Regional Rural Banks etc attended. Venktaraman, General Manager UCO Bank and convenor SLBC also spoke on the occasion. KK Saxena, Deputy General Manager presented vote of thanks.
