Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today called upon the farmers to take advantage of the state government’s scheme of interest-free loans of up to Rs 1 lakh in order to participate in the development of agriculture.
In a video message at the state-level cooperative banking services and credit workshop launched today, the Odisha CM said that the cooperative department is providing services to the farming families at various levels and lakhs of farmers in the state have joined the cooperative movement.
“The Cooperative Department is providing farmers with various kinds of assistance and loan is the most important factor in agriculture. A lion’s share of the state’s crop loans are disbursed by cooperative banks. The state government is providing loans up to one Rs 1 lakh for the benefit of the farmers,” said Patnaik adding that “the farmers should take advantage of the scheme”.
Attending the workshop held at Swaminathan Hall as the Chief Guest, Minister for Cooperation, Food Supply and Consumer Welfare departments, Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak he said that the main aim and objective of the state level and district level workshops and public awareness campaigns in rural areas is to inform the farmers about the services provided by the cooperative banks and agricultural credit societies and to create the necessary awareness to avail the services.
“To make agricultural loans easy and affordable to small and marginal farmers, the state government has made provisions to provide interest-free agricultural loans up to Rs 1 lakh and agricultural loans from one lakh to three lakh rupees at 2 per cent interest. Every farming family should take advantage of this scheme and be financially empowered, Minister Nayak said.
Development Commissioner and Agriculture Production Commissioner Pradeep Jena joined as the guest of honor and said that agriculture and cooperatives are a major sector of state development. “Under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the state has achieved many feats in the field of agriculture. We have achieved promising results in paddy production, vegetable farming, fish farming, animal husbandry etc,” he added.
Sanjeev Chadha, Principal Secretary, Cooperation Department, said that it is necessary to make agriculture profitable today and the cost of farming has to be reduced. “That is why the farmers have to take advantage of the loans provided by the state government. Instead of taking loans from moneylenders, farmers have to come to the cooperative credit network. We will make all the micro ATMs in the state operational and advanced training will be imparted to make the PACS more developed and effective. Chadha further said that the computerisation of PACS will be intensified and 1200 new PACS will be formed in the state.
NABARD General Manager Satharanjan Panda said that the cooperative movement started in the state in 1898. Today, the contribution of cooperatives to the economic and social development of 57 lakh farmers is immeasurable. Co-operative banks have become much better today due to the continuous efforts of the state government. He said that NABARD Bank has been closely associated with cooperatives and has played a major role in providing agricultural loans to the farmers of the state.
It is to be noted that by the first week of next March, District Central Co-operative Banks will conduct district-wide functions/workshops and by the end of March, Primary Agricultural Credit Co-operative Societies (PACS) will organise public awareness campaigns and workshops at village panchayat level.
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