Union Minister Parshottam Rupala has urged the banks to keep a minimum checklist to approve loans through KCC to farmers. He said that a process similar to DBT scheme should be adopted, where the state government may identify the farmers eligible for KCC loans. “Considering the importance of financial inclusion, I urge all farmers to come ahead and reap benefits of the KCC scheme. Till now more than 1.5 lakh fishermen and 29 lakhs dairy farmers have been provided KCC cards,” Rupala said at the first National Kisan Credit Card (KCC) Conference, in Mumbai on Monday.
Union MoS for Finance Dr. Bhagwat Karad urged the bank representatives that KCC should be given to fisheries’ sector applicants on priority. Reasons should be stated for returning of applications and guiding the applicant on how to re-submit applications so that it gets approved the next time. He urged NABARD to see if some loans from Rural Infrastructure Development Fund may be given to states for development of the fisheries sector. He said that fishermen should be brought under the schemes for street vendors (PM SVANidhi Scheme) as that will be beneficial for them. He urged the banks to work proactively for giving out KCC for fisheries, animal husbandry and crop loans.
Dr L. Murugan, MoS, FAHD, highlighted the plight of the poor farmers who took loans from private moneylenders and could not come out of the debt trap. He said that KCC is strengthening the rural economic system. Hence KCC needs to penetrate further in rural areas. Farmers are responsible borrowers and repay their loans on time. He asked the local bankers to take regular meetings to resolve challenges faced in implementing the KCC scheme.
Sudhir Mungantiwar and Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Ministers from Maharashtra, Fisheries Secretary, GoI, Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary, DAHD, Alka Upadhyaya, Chief Executive, NFDB, Dr. L. Narasimha Murthy, ED, RBI, Neeraj Nigam, and CGM, NABARD Vivek Sinha were present on the occasion.
