Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (PS)
Mangalore, Mar 14: The district-level review committee meeting for banking development in DK district was held at Netravathi hall of Zilla Panchayath on Tuesday March 13.
Dr K N Vijaya Prakash, CEO, ZP, presiding over the programme reviewed the progress of the banking sector in Dakshina Kannada and said that despite good growth under credit and credit disbursement, credit deposit ratio has dipped. He told bankers to set up lending and to examine reasons for decline in business share of rural branches and take corrective measures.
Expressing satisfaction over implementation of government sponsored programmes in general, he said bankers should co-operate especially while approving housing loans. The banking sector has achieved a business level of over Rs 29,000 cr at the end of the third quarter of 2011-12 consisting of Rs 19,000 cr deposits and Rs 10,500 cr advances.
“Under lending to women, minorities, weaker section, agriculture, and priority sector, the banks have surpassed bench mark levels prescribed by RBI,” said Dr Vijaya Prakash. He also stressed that all banks of the district make a resolution to help dairy farmers. About the demand for a separate goat rearing zone in the district, he asserted that it could be commissioned at the micro-level.
J S Shenoy, deputy general manager, Syndicate Bank, the lead bank of the district, said that the plan has allocation of Rs 1,957 cr for agriculture, Rs 398 cr for small and micro enterprises, and Rs 1,522 cr for other priority sectors. “Under farm sector, special allocation of Rs 125 cr is made on allied activities (dairy, poultry, goat rearing), rural godowns to encourage income generating activities and creation of storage infrastructure in rural areas. Education and housing, the two core sectors of the district, get allocation of Rs 216 cr and Rs 630 cr respectively, indicating continued support of the banking system for these sectors. The banks in the district can associate with 330 dairy societies for bringing about increase in milk production thereby bringing down supply deficit presently estimated to be 1 lac liters per day,” he said.
Shenoy said that credit market potential for dairy alone in the district is about Rs 100 cr. With procurement prices reaching a level of Rs 25 per liter, there is enthusiasm among farmers to take up these activities. Elaborating, he said that Syndicate Bank has already launched a special scheme for dairy in association with Milk Union and Primary Dairy Co-operatives which has become popular as SyndNandini model.
B S Hegde of DK co-operative Milk Producers Union said that the district requires 3.5 lac litres milk and the supply stands at merely 1.95 lac litres, hence deficit should be met. “Complaints of farmers who said they faced problems though they produced proper documents for obtaining loans from the bank should be taken seriously as it discourages them. Districts like Hassan and Mandya are doing well with it. Within a decade, milk production in Hassan has increased four times to reach 5 lac liters from 1 lac liters,” he said.
Prasad Rao, assistant general manager, NABARD, M S Hasan, RBI, Bangalore, Seethamma, project director of DRDA, Takath Rao, project director of district urban development centre, representatives of government departments, and NGOs were present at the meeting.
Hemantha Bhide, the lead district chief manager, placed the credit plan before the committee and it was approved on the occasion. He said the plan is in alignment with potential linked plan 2012-13 of NABARD.