With a view to providing loan at one per cent interest rate, credit cards have been issued to 2,17,081 farmers of the State through Primary Agriculture Credit Cooperative Societies during the current financial year 2013-14. With this, credit cards have been issued to a total of 18 lakh farmers so far.
Under the farmer credit card, the maximum limit of personal loan is Rs 5 lakh, out of which 50 per cent will be in cash and 50 per cent in kind like fertiliser, seeds, insecticides, farm equipment etc. Cooperative Department officers said that a scheme has been launched since 1999 to provide Kisan Credit Card through Agriculture Credit Cooperative Societies in all District Cooperative Central Banks in the State. Under the scheme, short-term credit limit of regular members of the society will be given as per their eligibility. The maximum credit limit is Rs 5 lakh.
According to information received from Chhattisgarh State Cooperative (Apex) Bank, 1,97,376 credit cards have been issued in Rajnandgaon district and 1,31,319 in Raipur district. Similarly, 1,12,690 credits cards in Balod, 1,09,445 in Balodabazar-Bhattapara, 96,184 in Mahasamund, 96,007 in North Bastar (Kanker), 93,194 in Dhamtari, 91,014 in Durg, 98,144 in Kabirdham, 87,262 in Bemetara, 76,205 in Kondagaon, 75,807 in Janjgir-Champa, 59,989 in Gariyaband, 57,126 in Bilaspur, 56,664 in Sarguja, 52,791 in Bastar (Jagadalpur), 52,764 in Korea, 48,689 in Surajpur, 48,364 in Raigarh, 44,707 in Balrampur, 20,638 in Bijapur, 19,244 in Korba, 14,146 in South Bastar (Dantewada), 8,232 in Jashpur and 6,391 in Sukma districts have been issued.
During the current financial year 2013-14, total Rs 2,323 crore has been provided to more than 9,74,000 farmers as short-term agriculture loan through cooperative societies in the State. Chief Minister Raman Singh has declared to give interest-free loan from the new financial year 2014-15. For that Rs 60 crore provision has been made in the budget for interest grant to the cooperative banks. About 10 lakh farmers in the State will be benefited from it.