Cooperative banks to disburse Rs 7,875 cr loans

Jind, Nov 16 (UNI) Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today said the cooperative banks of the state would provide loan amounting to Rs 7,875 crore to the people during the current financial year for agriculture and allied activities.

A sum of Rs 6,000 crore was disbursed by cooperative banks during last year.

Besides, the Central Government had also sanctioned a scheme costing Rs 704 crore for strengthening the primary agriculture credit societies in the state.

This was stated by the Chief Minister while addressing 42nd State Level Cooperative Day Function which was held here.

Mr Hooda asserted that the concept of cooperative movement was very old, saying that after the independence of India, first Prime Minister late Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru gave special thrust to promote cooperative movement in the country. This was the reason that cooperative week was celebrated throughout the country from November 14 to 20.

He stressed that in the age of globalisation, there was a need to change the pattern of agriculture to make it more profitable and commercial.

The Chief Minister said Haryana was carved out in 1966 there was scarcity of foodgrain in the state, but with the hard work and toil of the state's farmers, the state had emerged the second largest contributor of foodgrain in the central pool.

UNI