Banks must lend to farmers hit by El Niño, Nandurbar additional collector tells NABARD workshop

Nandurbar: El Niño is likely to hit farming seriously this year, and it is the banks' responsibility to provide banking and credit to affected farmers with a positive approach, additional collector Dhananjay Gogte said, directing all banks to follow the state government's guidelines on recovering overdue loans strictly. He was speaking at a senior bankers' workshop organised by NABARD in Nandurbar.

More than 40 district coordinators and branch managers of banks in the district attended the workshop on farm finance and climate challenges. NABARD district development manager Ravindra More made a presentation on Kisan Credit Cards, urging banks to bring forest-rights holders, livestock keepers, goat rearers and fish farmers into the scheme alongside regular farmers, and pointing to lending opportunities for agri-drones, power tillers, farmer producer organisations and self-help groups.

Lead bank district manager Nandkumar Paithankar asked banks to give top priority to cases under the Chief Minister's Employment Generation Programme and clear pending applications quickly. District mission officer Yashwant Thakur congratulated bankers on meeting the credit-linkage target for women's self-help groups.

Girish Chaudhari of the district industries centre, zilla parishad accounts officer Santosh Pawale and rural self-employment training institute director Pramod Shinde also briefed the bankers on various schemes.

Source: Esakal