Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Friday approved a plan for seeking funds to the tune of nearly Rs700 crore for various development projects from NABARD for the year 2014-15.
Presiding over a high level meeting with the team of senior officers of NABARD led by its Chief General Manager Naresh Gupta, Badal impressed upon the officers to sanction loans liberally for funding various development projects across the State especially in the rural sector.
Badal was apprised that the construction of field channels of Kotla Branch Phase-II system (AIBP), Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Improvement/Remodeling and rejuvenation of village ponds and disposal of sullage water and Civil works of schools of SSA/RMSA would be undertaken with RIDF loans amounting to Rs687 crore against the total cost of Rs1876.61 crore on these projects.
Reiterating the State Government’s commitment to effectively tackle the menace of drugs in the State, the Chief Minister also impressed upon the CGM to donate generously under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) towards the State’s noble mission to fight out the drug abuse through setting up a network of drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centers to bring back the youth, which had gone astray due to this in the main stream so that they could lead a normal life with self respect.
Badal also asked the CGM of NABARD to look into the possibility for funding the projects for constructing warehousing facilities for the rural societies in the villages for the storage of fertilizers, pesticides, seeds and other agricultural implements. He asked the Chief Secretary to work out a detailed proposal after discussing the issue threadbare with the senior officers of the Cooperation department besides the MDs of Markfed, Milkfed, Pungrain, Punjab Agro Corporation
and Punsup.
The NABARD CGM assured Badal that he would soon take up all the issues raised by him with the Chairman for their early resolution besides there incorporation in the prescribed schedule of development activities of the agency. The Chief Minister was also given update regarding the RIDF projects for 2013-14 and he asked the implementing agencies to ensure completion at the earliest.
Those present in the meeting included Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal, Financial Commissioner Development Suresh Kumar, Financial Commissioner Rural Development & Panchayats Mandeep Singh Sandhu, amongst others.