Follow single-window system to clear crop loans: CM Thackeray to banks
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday exhorted bankers to follow the single- window system for clearing farm loan proposals speedily. Chairing the 151st State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) meeting here, Thackeray said the farm sector has saved the state economy during the Covid pandemic.
The banks and state officials should devise ways to empower farmers and follow single-window system for their convenience, he was quoted as saying in a release.
Banks should disburse crop loans in time, he said.
A credit plan of Rs 4.60 lakh crore for FY22, to be executed by the banking sector, was approved during the meeting, the statement said.
This includes Rs 1,18,720 crore for the agricultural sector, Rs 60,860 crore for crop loans, Rs 2,49,139 crore for the micro, small and medium enterprises and Rs 93,022 crore for other priority sectors, it said.
His government wants to ensure that farmers grow the crops which are in demand, which entails a focus on crop planning, market research and development of food processing industries, Thackeray said.
Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said the district cooperatives banks in Nagpur, Nandurbar, Dhule, Nashik, Osmanabad, Buldhana and Beed are facing financial difficulties and should be given refinance by NABARD to ensure that farmers in these districts get access to credit.
Minister for cooperatives Balasaheb Patil asked the banks to expand their network as per the population of a given area.
Others present at the meeting included minister of state for agriculture Vishwajit Kadam, Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte and officials from NABARD, RBI and the state government.
