The National Bank for Rural Development (Nabard) Regional Office here has achieved a record performance in Odisha during 2016-17. The total financial support to the State Government, banks , corporations and other agencies has touched Rs 14,716 crore during the year, registering a spectacular increase of 76 per cent over the achievement of Rs 8,368 crore during the previous year, said Nabard Chief General Manager KC Panigrahi at a Press conference here on Wednesday.
Panigrahi said Odisha has been one of the biggest beneficiaries under the Rural Infrastructure Development Funds (RIDF) of Nabard under which loans are extended to the State Government for critical rural infrastructure like irrigation, roads and bridges. The total resource support under this fund to State Government reached 2,406 crore during 2016-17.
The CGM said one of the major projects sanctioned during the year is the establishment of 5 lakh litres per day (lPD) dairy plant in Cuttack by Omfed with RIDF loan assistance of 232.13 crore. Besides, loan support of Rs 415.77 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of 277 roads by Rural Development of State Government under Prime Minister Sadak Yojana and sanction of 12 mega lift irrigation projects in Kalahandi and Nuapada districts involving a loan assistance of Rs 270.17 crore. The cumulative RIDF disbursements in the State at the end of March 2017 amounted to Rs 12,324.71 crore.
He further said the RIDF assistance in the State is estimated to bring 21.50 lakh hectare of area under irrigation and construction of road length of about 9,649 km and nearly 1.11 lakh mete length of bridges.
Under the long Term Irrigation Fund instituted by the Government of India in NABARD, six incomplete irrigation projects in the State like lower Indravati, Upper Indravati , Rukura , Anandpur barrage, Ret irrigation and Kanupur would be fast-tracked. An amount of Rs 1230.96 crore has been sanctioned for the purpose, out of which Rs 188.60 crore has been disbursed during the year.
Besides, an amount of Rs 2,124 crore was disbursed to the Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation for its paddy procurement operation. NABARD also extended Rs 300 crore to the Odisha State Cooperative Bank, for on -lending to Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation during the year.
The organisation has financed watershed development, tribal development and host of other projects in the current financial year, said Panigrahi.