BHUBANESWAR: Odisha ranked first among 29 States in getting financial support from National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) for augmentation of rural infrastructure in the last fiscal, informed Chief General Manager (CGM) KC Panigrahi on Wednesday.
Talking to mediapersons here, Panigrahi said while the target was to disburse Rs 28,000 crore in the country, Odisha was the biggest beneficiary to get Rs 2,406 crore under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).
One of the major projects sanctioned during the year was a dairy plant having capacity of 5 lakh litres per day in Cuttack by OMFED with loan assistance of Rs 232.13 crore.
"Besides, loan support of Rs 415.77 crore has been provided for construction of 277 roads by Rural Development Department under Mukhya Mantri Sadak Yojana and Rs 270.17 crore for 12 mega lift irrigation projects in Kalahandi and Nuapada districts,’’ he said.
Highlighting the achievements, Panigrahi said total financial support to the State was Rs 14,716 crore last year against the target of Rs 9,668 crore. It was a record performance as the disbursement was 76 per cent more than that of 2015-16 when the support was Rs 8,368 crore, he said.
The cumulative RIDF disbursements in the State by the end of March was Rs 12,324.71 crore and the assistance is estimated to bring 21.5 lakh hectares of area under irrigation besides construction of 9,649 km roads and bridges of 1.11 lakh metres.
The NABARD CGM said Rs 1230.96 crore has been sanctioned under Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF) for fast-tracking eight incomplete major irrigation projects including Lower Indra, Upper Indravati, Rukura, Anandpur barrage, Ret irrigation and Kanupur. Of the total sanctioned amount, Rs 188.6 crore has been disbursed for six projects.
To check distress sale of paddy, Panigrahi said, Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation has been provided Rs 2,124 crore and State Cooperative Bank extended Rs 300 crore for timely procurement of paddy.
In a unique convergence model, NABARD, State Government and State Cooperative Bank have planned to set up 100 agro service centres in selected Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS) which will help increase the level of farm mechanism and productivity. Despite demonetisation, crop loan of Rs 10,800 crore has been sanctioned against the target of Rs 12,500 crore, he informed.
Since the State’s tribal population constitutes nearly 23 per cent, Panigrahi said special emphasis has been given on financing projects that would benefit tribal communities. Total of Rs 171.46 crore has been provided for plantation, soil and moisture conservation, irrigation and livelihood support benefiting more than 44,100 tribal families, he added.