The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) has expressed willingness to lend at least Rs 3,500 crore to the State for development in cooperative sector during 2018-19.
Odisha has so far availed Rs 3,320 crore out of Rs 86,000 crore of loans extended to all States.
NCDC Managing Director Sundeep Kumar Nayak has made a proposal to the State Government to extend bigger loan facilities to Odisha as the State has a lot of scope for development in agriculture, cooperation, fisheries, animal resources development and other allied sectors, according to reports.
In fact, the NCDC is interested to lend a total of Rs1 lakh crore and different States have reportedly consented to take more and more loans from it.
All these were revealed at a NCDC meeting held at New Delhi on Tuesday. Representatives from the Odisha Government participated in the meeting.
The NCDC is providing loans at as low as 3.5 per cent rate of interest, which attracts States to take big amounts of loans for development of the above sectors.
Recently, Telengana has availed Rs 6,000-crore loan for sheep and coat farming as well as fisheries development. Similarly, Uttarakhand has opted to take a loan of Rs 5,000 crore while West Bengal has already availed Rs 1,295 crore and asked for more.
Maharastra and Gujarat State Governments are in touch with tdhe NCDC to avail funding for development of the primary sectors, said sources.
Odisha should avail loans at low interest rate from the NCDC for development of cooperation, agriculture, fisheries secto, said Fishfed president T Prasad Rao Dora.
Dora along with FARD Secretary Vishal Gagan has recently called on NCDC MD Nayak for availing loans.
Nayak has agreed to extend at least Rs1, 000 crore for fisheries and animal resources sector in Odisha.
Sources said the Fisheries and ARD Department is preparing project reports to avail funding from the country’s apex corporation body.