SBI Chief General Manager Shantanu Pendsey was invited at the prestigious KJ Chaupal by the Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Krishi Jagran, MC Dominic on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, to throw some light on the barrage of works being done by the State Bank of India for over 200 years in a row. Incepted in 1995, SBI is one of the most trusted banks as over "1.5 farmers across the country avail SBI banks' services," Mr, Pendsey says.
"Who else would know about the needs of the farming community, but the SBI bank, which is deeply rooted in our agriculture sector," Mr Dominic welcomed the SBI Chief General Manager. Shantanu Pendsey, a man with an ocean of knowledge, poise personality, and sheer smartness, started an interactive session with the Krishi Jagran family, asking, "What are you doing differently to the farmers?" Indeed, it is agriculture beat, however, he added a little more to it saying, "You are helping farmers to make use of their land, human capital, and the resource they have."
Giving a glimpse at what SBI has so far done for the farmers in India, he said, "More than one trillion crop loans have been given to farmers. We support them with equipment, irrigation, and resource. We are available in all parts of the country. We have been in this country for more than 218 years. Climate change is one of the major challenges we will be looking at."
Self-help Group Ecosystem
Explaining about a very unique, Mr. Pendsey says, "established in the early 90s, 'Self-help Group Ecosystem' is one of the world’s largest microfinance programs run by women. They survived three Covid waves and did not ask for any kind of loan." He further said that they have alone generated Rs 1.2 trillion.
AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan
He also talked about ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan’, calling it an "Amazing" scheme, which provides financial aid to anyone in the country who wants to become self-reliant. The Prime Minister has announced a Rs. 20 lakh crore economic package under the ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan’, to aid our country out of the Coronavirus crisis (by making us self-reliant).
National Agriculture Infra Financing Facility
He also mentioned the 'National Agriculture Infra Financing Facility' or Agri Infra fund, calling it another, "wonderful scheme" for the farmers in India. It also provides loans and credit to farmers at "Interest subvention of 3% p.a." While the credit limit is Rs 2 crore and loan limit it 1 crore.
He also said that the government is planning to curb the loss of food, hence, these schemes will further support the farmers. He said that in India, we waste "1.5 trillion vegetables per year," which is not even a produce for many countries and accounts to 6 per cent of the farmers' income.
He site examples of countries like Norway, where the cold temperature does not support vegetation, while in India there is variety in agriculture also, with from "Kashmir to Kanyakumari".
During a question and round session, he mentioned, "We make sure that every scheme reaches to the farmers, as we present everywhere in the country, our offices are everywhere," while answering a question that how he makes sure the end result is met. Technology and farming in India are still a bit behind as farmers prefer traditional style agriculture, he informed. Moreover, he said, "It is difficult to hand pick one of the government's schemes, as every scheme is unique in some or the other way," when asked about the best scheme available for farmers.
