NE AGRICULTURE BUREAU
HYDERABAD, JULY 17
Telangana Minister for Agriculture, Marketing, Co-operation and Handlooms & Textiles Tummala Nageswara Rao said that farmers will repay their loans under any circumstances and urged the banks to extend necessary credit facilities to the farming community in time and in sufficient quantity.
Tummala Nageswara Rao said this while addressing at the 44th Foundation Day celebrations of NABARD at its Regional Office here on Tuesday.
- Tummala Nageswara Rao requests provision of infrastructure to Agriculture and Horticulture Universities in Telangana
- NABARD grew from a modest Balance Sheet size of ₹4,519 Crore to a mammoth Balance Sheet of ₹9.85 lakh Crore over 43 years: B Uday Bhaskar, Chief General Manager, NABARD, Telangana
Tummala Nageswara Rao recalled that he had started his farming after availing a loan from a Regional Rural Bank way back in 70’s. He said that NABARD played an excellent role in changing the banking sector, particularly the Rural Cooperative Institutions and the Regional Rural Banks.
Speaking in favour of the farmers, he said, “Farmers will repay their loans under any circumstances and urged the banks to extend necessary credit facilities to the farming community in time and in sufficient quantity.”
He also said that NABARD should be thanked for improving the credit flow to the agriculture sector. He also requested the banks to lend where they can see development either in agriculture or any other allied activity. He also requested provision of infrastructure to Agriculture and Horticulture Universities in Telangana. He recalled NABARD’s assistance for completion of 30 Medium Irrigation projects that were languishing for lack of budgetary allocation at that time.
B Uday Bhaskar, Chief General Manager, NABARD, Telangana, said this year’s Foundation Day is special as NABARD is celebrating a decade of transforming rural lives in Telangana. He said that NABARD has responded to its mandate consistently for the past 43 years and grew from a modest Balance Sheet size of ₹4,519 Crore to a mammoth Balance Sheet of ₹9.85 lakh Crore. He informed that NABARD supports various irrigation, connectivity and school projects under its Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) to the tune of ₹1100 Crore. He said that NABARD refinanced to the extent of ₹9,673 Crore as Refinance support for SHGs. It is also supporting focus on natural farming through its JIVA programme.
M Ravindar Rao, President, TGCAB, thanked NABARD for implementing innovative programmes at the grass root level. He expressed his happiness at NABARD’s PACS as Multi Service Centres programme which led to construction of godowns through PACS and strengthening them. He mentioned assistance of ₹200 Crore for strengthening PACS which could take up construction of godowns, Petrol Pumps, etc. He also thanked NABARD for assistance for computerization of PACS. He appreciated the efforts of NABARD in training the employees, Boards of Directors, TGCAB employees, etc.
Shri Surendra Mohan, IAS, Registrar of Cooperative Societies, said , “Telangana Government gives top priority to rural development and development of women and farmers. NABARD has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Government of Telangana in modernizing, revitalizing, expanding the cooperative landscape. “
He said that 289 PACs in Telangana have been strengthened through refinance and infrastructure development including the World’s Largest Grain Storage Project in Gambhiraopet PACS. He praised that NABARD’s collaboration has extended far beyond finance, from promoting FPOs and skill training for SHG women.
K Ravinder, Chairman, NAFSCOB, said,”NABARD is the organization that has been behind the tremendous growth of the Cooperative Institutions. It has brought professionalism in the Rural Cooperative Banks for their well- being.” He applauded the role of NABARD in the setting up the Vaidyanathan Committee and implementation of its recommendations.
Radhakrishnan, CGM, SBI and Chairman, SLBC said, “NABARD is above all the Banks and slightly below the Reserve Bank of India. More than 70% of the population lives in the rural areas and NABARD is able to touch every area of the rural India. NABARD’s Potential Linked Credit Plans (PLPs) work as the guide to the Banks for preparation and achievement of their Annual Credit Plan.”
Other prominent dignitaries who joined the celebrations were K.Bhaskara Rao, Chief General Manager, Union Bank of India; K Pratap Reddy, Chairman, Telangana Grameena Bank.
During the programme, a song on NABARD’s interventions was launched at the hands of the Chief Guest. A booklet on Unit Cost that works as a handbook for Bankers to decide the credit for various Agriculture and allied activities also was released. A report on the Impact Evaluation Study on Farmer Producers Organizations and a booklet on a-IDEA of NAARM were also released. Further, two videos on a-IDEA’s interventions of Rural Business Incubation Centre and ‘Kheyti’, an Ultra Low Cost Shadenet Cultivation model were also released on the occasion by the Chief Guest. A few good-performing DCCBs, PACS, FPOs and OFPOs were also felicitated. Also launched was a project under Climate Change Fund-Interest Differential (CCF ID)-Young Earth Leaders Programme during the programme.
The celebrations concluded with Vote of Thanks by R Ganapathy, General Manager of NABARD.
