NABARD’s support in Odisha exceeds Rs.8,400 crore during last fiscal

Odisha Channel Bureau Bhubaneswar: Odisha Regional Office of NABARD recorded an over-all outstanding performance in the State during the year 2015-16, according to an official release issued here on Friday.Total sanctions in the State under the categories of loans to State Government refinance support to banks and direct loans were Rs.8,800 crore and against these sanctions, the Regional Office disbursed Rs.8,367 crore to the State Government banks, corporations and other agencies like NGOs and producers organisations.Rural InfrastructureOdisha has always been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) of NABARD under which loans are extended to the State Govt.for creation of critical rural infrastructure projects like Irrigation, Roads, Bridges; etc.During 2015-16, the support extended to the State Govt.under RIDF -XXI was Rs.3,000crore, showing an increase of about 15% over the previous year’s sanctions.Similarly, disbursements under various tranches of RIDF reached an all-time high of Rs.2,264 crore, registering an increase of about 45% over the previous year.The support has helped the State Govt.to complete execution of many of the RIDF projects during the year.One of the major projects sanctioned during the year was in Nuapada district.This project entails an outlay of Rs.752crore (RIDF loan of Rs.543 crore) and would provide piped drinking water supply in fluoride affected areas, benefitting about 1.20 lakh families.Besides, one mega lift canal irrigation project with RIDF loan of Rs.766crore on Upper Indravati Irrigation project in Kalahandi district and 19 mega lift irrigation projects with aggregate RIDF loan of Rs.497 crore were sanctioned in 4 backward districts of the State during the year.The cumulative RIDF sanctions and disbursements in the State as at the end of March 2016, amounted to Rs.14,995crore and Rs.9,918crore respectively.The RIDF assistance in the State is estimated to have brought about irrigation facility in 18.68 lakh Ha.Road length of 8200 Km and bridge length of nearly 1.02 lakh metre has also been supported under RIDF providing critical rural connectivity for improving the socio economic conditions of the interior villages in the State.NABARD had started a separate Warehouse Infrastructure Fund (WIF) in 2014-15 for supporting the creation of warehouse infrastructure in the States so that small and marginal farmers could benefit from adequate and efficient storing facilities.So far, NABARD has sanctioned Rs.1,077 crore under WIF to the State Govt.for construction of 3,725 rural godowns in the Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies ( PACS) located across various districts of the State, with a total capacity of 7.3 lakh MT.During 2015-16, an amount of Rs.160 crore was released to the State Govt.and cumulative disbursement to Govt.of Odisha stood at Rs.184 crore under WIF at the end of March 2016.NABARD RefinanceTo enable the cooperative banks (DCCBs) and the regional rural banks (RRBs) in the State to meet the production credit needs of farmers, NABARD provides short term refinance to these institutions at subsidised interest rates.Refinance for short terms loans of Rs.4200.00 crore were sanctioned and disbursed to the Odisha State Cooperative Bank during 2015-16.NABARD also disbursed Long Term Refinance of Rs.512 crore to commercial banks, Odisha State Cooperative Bank and one MFI during the year.Out of the total refinance extended, refinance of Rs.63 crore was extended on soft terms to the Odisha State Cooperative Bank under LTRCF (Long Term Rural Credit Fund), a dedicated fund instituted by GOI in NABARD.Such refinance is slated to enhance private sector capital formation in agriculture.For facilitating augmentation of disbursement of agricultural term loans by the banks, NABARD conducted a number of ground level workshops for bank officials and also prepared Area Development Schemes for fisheries, farm mechanization, poultry and dairy development in select blocks of nine districts of the state, with a total financial outlay of Rs.162crore, in 2015-16.New areas of financial supportTo supplement the efforts of banks in the State for supporting various activities connected to agriculture, NABARD has also started a direct lending window.Under this facility, an amount of Rs.900 crore was sanctioned to the Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation for its food grain procurement operations, during the year 2015-16.NABARD also extended Rs.150 crore to Odisha State Cooperative Bank, for on-lending Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation during the year, under its direct lending window.Under Producers Organisation Development Fund (PODF), NABARD sanctioned an amount of Rs.3 crore to a producer company for procurement and marketing of organic cotton in Kalahandi and Bolangir districts, benefitting organic cotton growing farmers.Besides, to enable the PACS to function as multi service centres (MSCs),providing comprehensive range of services to their farmer members like custom hiring of farm machinery, purchase of tractors, combine harvestors, stocking of fertilisers; etc.NABARD extended financial support of Rs.5.11 crore for setting up such MSCs in 28 PACS in the State during the year.Developmental & promotional roleNABARD continued to support various developmental and promotional interventions in the State in partnership with NGOs and other developmental institutions.During the year, 7 Watershed Development Projects were sanctioned for implementation in the State.Out of these, 5 projects were sanctioned in convergence with Tata Trust.Cumulatively, a total of 82watershed projects are under implementation in the State, as at the end of March 2016, with financial assistance of 60.50crore and benefitting 18,000 families and an area of nearly 58,000 Ha.Considering the fact that tribal population constitutes nearly 23% of the total population of the State, NABARD has been paying special emphasis on launching projects benefitting the tribal communities.Under the Tribal Development Fund (TDF) of NABARD, 49tribal development projects are under implementation in the State, as at the end of March 2016, with total financial support of Rs.167.69crore for plantation activities, soil and moisture conservation works, irrigation development and livelihood support, benefitting more than 43,000 tribal families.Out of all the projects under TDF, 5 projects are implemented under convergence with Royal Bank of Scotland Trust, Sir Dorabjee Tata Trust (SDTT), CiNi and Juang Development Authority, Government of Odisha.Under PRODUCE Fund of GoI, NABARD sanctioned 70 FPOs (Farmers Producers Organisations) during the year.Cumulatively, NABARD has sanctioned 110 FPOs in the State covering 27 districts with total financial assistance of Rs.9.96 crore.These FPOs will facilitate aggregation of marketable surplus, bring in remunerative prices through collective bargaining and provide opportunities for value addition and other forward linkages to small and marginal farmer members of these FPOs.During 2015-16, NABARD sanctioned a climate change project to Dept.of Water resources, Govt.of Odisha under NAF (National Adaptation Fund).The project envisages water management through checking surface run-up and is being implemented in Nuapada district with a total financial outlay of Rs.20 crore.Currently, 02 other projects, each under NAF (National Adaptation Fund) and GCF (Green Climate Fund), with total financial outlay of Rs.24 crore and Rs.200 crore are under consideration at the level of NABARD.Micro credit & Financial InclusionNABARD sustained its efforts in formation of SHGs and JLGs in the State during the year, in partnership with NGOs and banks, so that the marginalized sections of the society, especially in the LWE districts are able to access the financial system.It is estimated that around 28,000 Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) of tenant farmers, oral lessees and agricultural labourers were formed and financed by banks in the State, during the year.Around 63,000 SHGs got credit linked to banks in the State facilitating flow of loans to these small income groups.During year, NABARD extended financial grant to the tune of Rs.7.33 crore under Financial Inclusion Fund (FIF) to banks, NGOs and other agencies for various supply and demand side interventions for financial inclusion.Institutional development & supervisory roleAs part of NABARD’s mandate to ensure institutional development of RFIs (Rural Financial Institutions) and mainly the Cooperatives, NABARD extended financial assistance of Rs.65 lakh for training of cooperative personnel during the year.NABARD also monitored the technology adoption and other aspects relating to improvement in financial health of the cooperatives.NABARD conducted statutory inspection of the Odisha State Cooperative Bank, both Regional Rural Banks and 10 District Central Cooperative Banks during the year.Way forward – Agenda for 2016-17NABARD has identified a few major focus areas for 2016-17.These include supporting irrigation facilities in the State by providing financial assistance under special Long Term Irrigation Fund, set up by GoI with a corpus of Rs.20,000 crore, enhancing capital formation in agriculture and devising means and ways to augment disbursement of agricultural term loans by the banks, facilitating widening of credit to tenant farmers and share croppers, seamless technology in Rural Financial Institutions, digitization of SHGs, risk mitigating measures for the distressed farmers and providing replicable development models, particularly through convergence with other agencies.