District credit plan outlay for Dharwad fixed at Rs. 4,019 cr.

Lending for agriculture, the priority sector, has been increased by 26 per cent

Pralhad Joshi, MP, speaking at the district-level review committee meeting in Hubballi on Monday. —Photo: Kiran Bakale

With a 33 per cent increase over last year’s allocation, the district credit plan for Dharwad for the financial year 2015-16 has been fixed at Rs. 4,019 crore.

The previous year’s credit outlay was Rs. 3,033 crore and lending for agriculture, under the priority sector, has been increased by 26 per cent.

Satisfaction

Releasing the credit plan at a district-level review committee meeting here on Monday, Dharwad MP Pralhad Joshi expressed satisfaction over the progress achieved so far in the current fiscal.

However, he was critical about the non-cooperation of new generation banks in the implementation of government-sponsored schemes and also the apathy of the representatives of these banks towards attending committee meetings.

The delayed arrival of Dharwad Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Ramandeep Choudhary irked the MP and he did not hide his displeasure.

Assistant general manager of district lead bank (Vijaya Bank) Ashokraj Shetty said that following the government policy on enhancing credit flow to the farm sector, the allocation had been increased to Rs. 1,521 crore from Rs. 1,210 crore in the previous fiscal.

Of the allocation, Rs. 1,191 crore was for crop loan and Rs. 239 crore for term loan and Rs. 90 crore was for allied farm activities, he said.

Mr. Shetty said that as per the revised guidelines, the outlay for small and medium enterprises in the non-priority sector had been put at Rs. 599 crore.

For other priority sectors such as housing, education and consumption loans, an allocation of Rs. 1,030 crore had been made, he said.

Mr. Shetty said that it had been proposed to issue around 1.25 lakh additional Kisan Credit Cards to farmers a with a credit component of Rs. 1,191 crore.

He said that of the total credit outlay in the priority sector, public sector banks would give advances to the tune of Rs. 2,288 crore, Karnataka Vikas Grameen Bank Rs. 544 crore and Karnataka Credit Cooperative Bank Rs. 168 crore.

The remaining amount would be shared by KSCARD Bank, Karnataka State Finance Corporation and new generation banks, he said.