Yogesh K Porwar & Sunil Lohan
G
adag:Former Chief Minister and Haveri MP,Basavaraj Bommai,emphasized that banks should play a key role in helping the poor achieve financial independence.
He was speaking during the Lead Bank Advisory Committee meeting held on Monday at the Zilla Panchayat auditorium in the city.
Presiding over the meeting,Bommai said that if the financial benefits of various government schemes aimed at the public are provided through banks within the stipulated time frame,it will be of greater convenience to the beneficiaries.
Proper guidance and support from banks are crucial for the poor and the youth to engage in self-employment. Bank officers and staff must address public grievances in a way that enhances the trustworthiness of banks. Since Gadag is an agriculture-dominant district, banks should avoid unnecessary delays when granting loans to farmers.
The MP also stressed the need to promote handloom and textile industries in the district.A meeting of handloom entrepreneurs should be held to work effectively for the development of these industries. If banks work with special interest, it will be possible to provide facilities to the beneficiaries of various schemes, he opined.
Lead Bank Manager Santosh M.V.informed the meeting that there are 182 branches of the Lead Bank operating in the district.New HDFC branches have been opened in Gajendragad, Laxmeshwar,Mundargi, and Nargund.
The district’s loan-to-deposit ratio stands at 95.94%.All bank controllers have been instructed to improve the loan-to-deposit ratio at their branches.
Under the current annual loan plan,up to June 30,2024, loans worth Rs.120,832.31 lakhs have been disbursed to priority sectors, including agriculture.
The taluk-wise details (in lakhs) are: Gadag – Rs 55,973.08, Gajendragad – Rs 5,934.98, Laxmeshwar – Rs 5,984.74, Mundaragi – Rs 9,553.72, Naragund – Rs 15,252.8, Ron – Rs 19,416.65, Shirahatti – Rs 8,716.34.
By the end of June 2024, under the Mudra loan scheme, 50,116 applications were received under the Shishu Yojana, and Rs 10,936.72 lakhs were distributed.
Under the Kishore Yojana,34,032 applications were received, and Rs.33,850.85 lakhs were distributed. Under the Tarun Yojana,1,532 applications were received, and Rs 9,395.20 lakhs were distributed.
The progress of various schemes, including the Udyogini, PMEGP (Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Program), and PM Swanidhi, was reviewed at the meeting.
The meeting was attended by District Commissioner Govindareddy,ZP CEO Bharat S, NABARD AGM Mahadev Keerthi, RBI’s Venkataramayya T.S.,SBI’s Nagasubbareddy, and officials from various departments and banks.
