Banks should assist Govt in encouraging reverse migration in mountains: CM
Tuesday, 16 January 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the banks should assist the government in its endeavour to prevent migration and encourage reverse migration in the mountainous areas of the State. Exhorting the banks to undertake a special campaign of giving loans to the people in the mountainous areas, the CM said that development of rural and backwards areas of the State is needed and it is essential for reverse migration.
He was addressing the State credit seminar organised under the aegis of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) here on Monday. Expressing gratitude to NABARD for a hefty 33.5 per cent increase in the credit plan for development of agriculture, horticulture and small and medium industries in the State, the CM said that the increase augurs well for the farmers and people engaged in small and medium industries in the State. He however cautioned that a proper monitoring mechanism is needed for the success of the credit plan. Dhami said that the banks should ensure that capable and needy people are not made to undertake unnecessary rounds of the banks for loans.
Dhami said that both the houses of the parliament have passed the Nari Shakti Vandan bill and the Uttarakhand government is also providing 30 per cent reservation to the women of the State in government jobs. He asked the officers of NABARD to start special schemes for women of the State so that they become empowered and get maximum benefit from the government schemes. The CM said that in a recent interaction the beneficiary women of Tehri district said that the Sashakt Behena Utsav Yojana has proved beneficial for them. The CM said that every branch of bank in the State should work with a fixed target for distribution of loans in the credit plan of the NABARD.
He pointed out that Rudraprayag, Bageshwar and Tehri are the districts with low credit penetration and asked the officers that efforts to increase loan distribution in these districts should be made. The CM said that the State has 7.60 lakh beneficiaries of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme while Kisan credit cards have been given to 6.89 lakh farmers. He said that the credit cards should be given to remaining farmers as well.
Dhami said that the climate and the geographical conditions of the State are conducive for horticulture, aromatic plants, medicinal plants, dairy, fisheries, bee keeping, mushroom and organic farming. He suggested that the banks can organise special camps for increasing credit flow in these areas.
The CM said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a target to double the income of farmers and the State government is working dedicatedly to fulfil the target. He said that during the recent Global Investors Summit held in Dehradun, PM Modi had made an appeal that people should select Uttarakhand for destination weddings and positive results of the PM’s appeal are visible.
The CM also released the State focus policy paper -2024-25 on the occasion.
The chief general manager of NABARD VK Bisht gave an account of the activities of the bank in Uttarakhand.
Cabinet ministers Ganesh Joshi, Dhan Singh Rawat, additional chief secretaries Radha Raturi, Anand Bardhan, secretaries BVRC Purushottam, HC Semwal, SN Pandey and representatives of banks attended the programme.
