Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, presided over a high-level meeting on Friday to assess the progress of Agriculture credit schemes implemented by banking and financial institutions for the Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP).
During the meeting, Lt. Governor Sinha emphasized the need for seamless coordination between bank officials and administrative officers at the district level to ensure the effective implementation of the HADP. He also stressed the importance of achieving 100 percent saturation of benefits under the Kisan Credit Card and other Central and UT Schemes of Agriculture and Allied Sector.
To facilitate better monitoring of the cases received by banks under the HADP and other Agriculture and Allied Sector schemes, Lt. Governor Sinha directed the bank officials to appoint a Nodal Officer for both Jammu and Kashmir Divisions. He emphasized that special attention should be given to small and marginal farmers in the implementation of the HADP.
Furthermore, Lt. Governor Sinha urged Deputy Commissioners to transform Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) into engines of growth. He encouraged districts to compete and strive to create success stories of such organizations, highlighting their potential for driving economic development.
Speaking at the meeting, Lt. Governor Sinha expressed his belief that the 29 projects worth Rs 5013 crore under the Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP) would have a transformative impact on the agriculture economy of Jammu and Kashmir.
Lt. Governor Sinha sought valuable inputs from the bank officials and encouraged them to engage other stakeholders to complement the government's efforts in improving farmers' access to institutional sources of credit. He emphasized the importance of strengthening the agriculture and allied sector to foster overall development.
The Lt. Governor also took note of the actions taken based on the directions given in previous meetings by Public Sector Banks, Administrative Departments, and other Financial Institutions. According to an official statement, the bank officers were instructed to simplify and streamline the processes of extending credit and financial assistance services to farmers.
Various key officials attended the meeting, including Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary of the Agriculture Production Department, who provided a detailed briefing on credit extension for the implementation of schemes in the Agriculture and Allied Sectors. Dr. Mandeep Kumar Bhandari, Principal Secretary to the Lt. Governor, Baldev Prakash, MD and CEO of J-K Bank, Deputy Commissioners, heads and representatives of different banks, financial institutions, and other senior officers of the UT administration were also present at the Civil Secretariat meeting.
