An exclusive bank for farmers in Uttarakhand

Dehradun, Mar 28 (ANI): Farmers in Uttarakhand are benefiting from a unique financial institution named Kisan Bank, mooted by the Central Government.

Instituted a year ago, this bank has facilitated farmers to achieve their desired aims and progress.

Kisan Bank can be termed as a single window institution catering to the needs of farmers. It helps the tillers to buy various inputs like quality seeds, fertilizers and farm equipments.

A remarkable aspect of the bank is that the financial support advanced to the farmers is recovered not monetarily, but in the form the farm produce.

Thus, the farmers are saved from becoming victims of the vicious market trends and speculative traders.

The Kisan Bank channelises the sale of the farmers' produce.

Rakesh Sharma, General Manager of Kisan Bank said that such initiatives are a must for the upliftment of the poor in the State.

The bank also counsels the farmers about the technical aspects in agriculture.

"The motive of Kisan Bank is not just to give loan, but also to give them technical support. We provide them with quality seeds and also provide them with facilities to sell their produce at good price. This will give them value addition so that they can earn profit," said Rakesh Sharma.

Thus through better returns for their toil, the farmers of Uttarakhand now earn well.

Expressing happiness at the initiative taken by the government, Bir Singh, a farmer said, "We have gained lots of profit from Kisan Bank. We do not have to give interest to the bank. We get fertilisers and other facilities, which help us to save money. We thank the bank for giving us such facilities because of which we lead a life of self-sufficiency. Alongside the bank also gains."

Kisan Bank has set up branches at ten different locations in Uttarakhand.

The concept of the bank has been based on the conventional Kisan-Mahajan relationship.

However, unlike a Mahajan who would exploit the farmers, Kisan Bank tends to the needs of the agriculturists with a paternal touch. By Ashish Goel(ANI)