Credit plan envisages Rs.1,438 crore for Tiruchi

TIRUCHI: Non-governmental organisations, as part of their co-ordination for extending credit linkage to the economically backward people, should sensitise the eligible people to the advantages of the loans being sanctioned by the banks under the Differential Rate of Interest (DRI) component, Collector T. Soundaiah said.

Presiding over a banker’s meeting convened to mark the release of the Potential Linked Credit Plan for 2009-10 for the district, prepared by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development here on Wednesday, the Collector said that though the response from the banks to sanction DRI loans was forthcoming, there was not much takers. He appealed to the NGOs to take steps to ensure credit linkage to the eligible persons under the programme, which offered loans at a reduced rate of interest.

In response to a plea by the office-bearers of the NGOs, the Collector even assured them that he would direct the Tahsildars to expedite the process of issuing income certificates to the eligible borrowers, for ensuring an efficient implementation of the DRI programme.

The Collector also advised the office bearers of these organisations to float more number of Panchayat-level federations to benefit a larger number of members of self-help groups through credit facility.

The Collector said that the Potential Linked Credit Plan envisaged a credit potential for Rs. 1,438.11 crore for the district during 2009-10.

A credit potential of Rs.764.25 crore had been envisaged for agriculture and allied activities; Rs.192.84 crore for Non-farm sector; Rs. 19.96 crore for Agro and food processing; Rs. 461.05 crore for the other priority sector.

The District Development Manager, NABARD, D. Solomon Paul Jayaraj spoke on the scope of the Potential Linked Credit Plan as a base document for preparing the Annual credit plan. He also highlighted the NABARD’s role in funding infrastructure facilities.

The flood prevention project in and around Tiruchi city and construction of school buildings in parts of the district were some of the major projects sanctioned.

The Assistant General Manager, Reserve Bank of India, Chennai, R. Selvaraj, said that a website on the beneficiaries of the farm debt waiver scheme would be launched soon. The objective was to ensure transparency in the implementation of the scheme. The Assistant General Manager, Indian Overseas Bank, Rasheed Khan; The Lead Bank Manager, T. Ramadoss and the Project Officer, Mahalir Thittam, R. Srinivasan spoke.