Chhattisgarh Government is now on delivery mode and has started fulfilling the poll promises to the electorates especially farmers just before the general election campaign goes in to overdrive. CM Raman Singh announced that a scheme of interest-free loans to farmers would be initiated with new financial year.
Minister of Cooperatives Punnulal Mohle informed here on Wednesday that in the current financial year 2013-14, 9.74 lakh farmers have been provided with the short-term agricultural loans worth Rs 2323 crores, through cooperative societies. For further betterment and welfare of farmers, Chief Minister Raman Singh has announced that a scheme of interest free loans to farmers would be initiated with the beginning of new financial year 2014-15, starting from April 1.
A provision of Rs 60 crores has been made in the budget to provide interest subsidy to cooperative banks. This scheme would benefit near about 10 lakh farmers of the state. Minister Mohle told that along with agricultural loans, state government is also providing loans of upto Rs 1 lakh at 1 per cent interest and that of Rs 1-3 lakh at 3 per cent, for dairy business through cooperative societies.
In year 2013-14, Rs 1.06 crores have been distributed as loans for dairy business at 1 per cent interest, till date. For horticulture and fishery also, loans of upto Rs 1 lakh at 1 per cent and loans of Rs 1-3 lakh at 3 per cent are provided through cooperative banks. To promote dairy business in state, state government has decided to provide loans of upto Rs 2 lakh at 1 per cent interest to the traditional farmers, from financial year 2014-15.