South Malabar Gramin Bank (SMGB), owned jointly by the State and Central Governments, has set a record by issuing the highest number of Kisan Credit Cards to farmers in the state.
As per the data compiled by the state-level bankers committee, 93,170 farmers have been assisted by the SMGB so far through KCC.
The impressive track record of the SMGB came up for discussion at a meeting held between Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and K V Shaji,chairman of the bank here on Saturday.
The chairman also told the Chief Minister that the bank intends to advance the KCC scheme to all eligible farmers under its jurisdiction in the current fiscal.The SMGB had also launched a campaign to ensure that all families in its service area have at least one bank account.
The bank operates in eight districts in the state and is planning to expand its operations by adding 30 new branches and 100 ATMs in rural areas during this year. Already the bank is credited for being the first among all the Gramin Banks in the country to extend collateral free loans to the SME sector.