Farmers Training Centre to be set up in Bagalkote

Bangalore, Mar 25: The State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) has taken a lead to set up Farmers Training Centre (FTC) at Bagalkote in North Karnataka, Syndicate Bank Chairman and Managing Director C P Swarnkar, who is also SLBC Karnataka Chairman said today.

Addressing a meeting of the SLBC here, he said that the state government has readily agreed to provide 10 acre of land for establishing the Centre and steps will be taken in this direction as per direction by the Union Ministry of Finance.

Since Bagalkote is a backward District in the State opening of such a Centre would help in imparting training in Agriculture. SLBC would submit a proposed to the State Government seeking land transfer for setting up the Centre, he added.

Mr Swarnkar said that as per RBI and NABARD guidelines for implementation of package of relief measures for debt stressed farmers in Six identified Districts, Commercial banks, RRBs and Cooperative banks have waived overdue interest in respect of agricultural loans to the tune of Rs 626.27 crore since last three years.

He said that the aggregate deposits of the Scheduled Commercial Banks stood at 151897 crore as on December31-2007, registering a growth of 28.63 per cent as compared to Rs 118090 Crore in December 2006. The outstanding level of priority sector credit stood at 55,857 crore constituting 46.99 per cent, surpassing RBI stipulation of 40 per cent and the level of agricultural advances was Rs 24,738 crore forming 20.81 per cent of total credit, exceeding the stipulation of 18 per cent set by RBI.

UNI