OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: Lower Subansiri DC Bamin Nime has issued stern warnings to banks in the district to provide seamless services to their clients, particularly farmers and small-time entrepreneurs, during the District Consultative Committee Meeting (DCC) held on Monday. Admonishing the banks for undue delay in disbursement of government sponsored loans and subsidies, the DC said bank officials are also government-paid employees who ought to perform their duties smoothly by disbursing the loans and subsidies timely and without any undue hassles. "Agriculture, horticulture, fishery, and animal husbandry farmers and needy small-time entrepreneurs seek government-sponsored loans and subsidies, including Atma Nirbhar Yojanas, to start their own start-ups. The government has also devised such programmes and policies for the welfare of the people, and the banks have no reason to sit over such cases," he said. Nime urged the banks to speed up the disbursement of loans and subsidies so that no deserving farmer or entrepreneur suffers due to unnecessary delays by the banks. Further cautioning the banks, the DC said in the future such cases of undue delays to farmers and entrepreneurs for processing and disbursement of government-sponsored loans and subsidies would be taken seriously with the particular defaulting banks and necessary actions would be initiated as per existing RBI guidelines and government norms.
Meanwhile, officers of agriculture, horticulture, and fisheries also pointed out that loans sought by farmers are ‘seasonal-based, and a farmer seeking a loan for a kharif crop but getting it sanctioned during rabi season dilutes the whole meaning of good intention by the government all because of undue delay by the banks concerned. Low and poor disbursement of government-sponsored loans and subsidies was another hot topic discussed during the meeting. In Horticulture’s Atma Nirbhar Bhagwani Yojna for the current season, 665 loans had been sanctioned by the government, while only 158 loans had been disbursed to farmers. In the Atma Nirbhar Krishi Yojna, out of 402 applicants, 155 had been disbursed, while 247 were still pending. Similarly, in the Atma Nirbhar Pasu Palan Yojna, all 30 cases were still pending disbursement.
The lead district manager from Itanagar, S. R. Singh, also urged the banks to pull up their socks and deliver quick and efficient services to marginalized farmers and small-time entrepreneurs. He also informed that banks must carry out 167 gram panchayat saturation meetings in the district, of which 113 have been carried out so far and 54 need to be carried out until July 31. RBI Assistant General Manager from Itanagar, Alok Kumar, said the government’s direction is paramount for the banks in transacting their business. He added that banks need to adjust their guidelines as per directions from time to time. Kumar further informed that an RBI office would soon come up in the state capital, which would be a great relief to the banking sector. SBI Hapoli Chief Manager Nurul Saikia and branch managers of Apex, Axis, HDFC, CBI, PNB, Canara, and APRSB banks located within the district attended the day-long meeting.
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