BHUBANESWAR: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has extended financial support Rs 22,709 crore to the State government in 2020-21 financial year. It had made a projection of Rs 90,395.69 crore credit requirement for the State in the last fiscal.
The national bank has disbursed Rs 1,700 crore under Special Liquidity Facility (SLF) to cooperative banks and micro finance institutions (MFIs) with a view to ensure unhindered flow of credit to farmers to carry out agricultural operations smoothly.
It provided a refinance support of Rs 12,193 crore to meet the short-term credit requirement of farmers, said a NABARD release highlighting its performance for the State. The State received a financial assistance of Rs 3,234.25 crore under rural infrastructure development fund (RIDF) for construction of 2,510 community-based lift irrigation projects under Biju Krushak Vikas Yojana (BKVY), 11 mega lift schemes, 74 rural bridges, 7 mega piped water supply projects, 8 flood protection and one system improvement projects.
These projects will create irrigation potential for 97,256 hectare (ha) in the State while the drinking water projects are expected to provide safe drinking water to 25.46 lakh rural population across 3.50 lakh households in 1,335 villages.
The bank also reimbursed RIDF assistance of Rs 2,732.75 crore to the State for expenditure incurred towards various projects. Some of the major infrastructure projects include Indravati Lift Canal Irrigation Project in Kalahandi, 5 lakh LPD OMFED automated milk processing unit, drinking water projects in Nuapada, Bhadrak, Bargarh, Nabarangpur, Dhenkanal and Jajpur.
Further, NABARD has disbursed Rs 5,597.5 crore for supporting paddy procurement operations in the State. In order to give a fillip to economic activities and enhance livelihood opportunities, 144 watershed projects have been undertaken with financial assistance of Rs 74.92 crore from Nabard covering area of 1.12 lakh hectare and 41,000 households in 24 districts.
Currently, 70 watershed projects are under implementation and 5 new projects were sanctioned with financial assistance of Rs 6.27 crore under watershed development and climate proofing project. The national bank also extended financial assistance of Rs 190.61 crore under WADI project covering area of 41,000 acre and 48,000 tribal families in 21 districts of the State.