Tripura CM Stresses On Annual Credit Plan; Urge Banks To Implement Measures For Boosting Tourism Sector

5th August 2022

Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura

Agartala, August 05, 2022 : Claiming tourism industry has a bright potential in economic development of the state, Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Thursday said that the banks should come forward for the development of the tourism sector. Banks also need to be aware of the priority areas that the state government is working on and only then can the banks take concrete plans for the economic development of the state, he added.

Chief Minister Dr Saha chaired the meeting of the 140th State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) at the Civil Secretariat here in Agartala city on Thursday. The meeting reviewed the progress of the decisions taken on various issues in the last State Level Bankers Committee meeting.

In the meeting, DGM of Punjab National Bank Anand Kumar while discussing the detailed program of the State Level Bankers Committee said that in the annual credit plan of the financial year 2022-23, the banks have taken a target of 100 percent disbursement in each sector including the primary sector. Banks have disbursed Rs 1131.35 crore for agriculture, micro, small and medium industries and other primary sectors till June of the current financial year. Banks have disbursed a total of Rs 77 crore 72 lakh loans to 12 thousand 170 KCC card holder farmers till June of 2022-23 financial year.

DGM Anand Kumar also said that a total of Rs 2 crore 10 lakh 16 thousand loans have been given to 21 SC and ST women beneficiaries till June of 2022-23 financial year. Under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, loans of Rs 228.82 crore have been disbursed to 38 thousand 21 bank account holders till June of the current financial year. So far 8 lakh 91 thousand 880 people have opened bank accounts under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. Out of this, 7 lakh 14 thousand 83 bank accounts were opened in rural areas and 1 lakh 85 thousand 797 bank accounts were opened in urban areas.

In this context, Chief Minister Dr Saha said there is a great opportunity for unemployed youth to become financially independent by taking loans under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana and Start-Up India Yojana. So banks have to play a positive role to provide more loans in these two schemes.

Punjab National Bank DGM Anand Kumar said in the meeting that till June of the current financial year, 13 students have been granted educational loans of Rs 3.63 crore. 1,165 home loans have been sanctioned under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana till June of FY 2022-23. DGM Kumar also said that various banks have sanctioned 18 proposed loans for mini dairy projects till June of 2022-23 financial year. The meeting also discussed opening of new bank branches, assistance in tourism development, giving importance to lending to self-help groups, lending to self-reliance and Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Program, setting up of ATMs in every block area of the state, etc.

Apart from the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary JK Sinha, Finance Secretary Brijesh Pandey, Revenue Department Secretary Punit Agarwal, Tourism department Secretary Kiran Gitte, Cooperative department Secretary Abhishek Singh, Rural Development department Special Secretary Sandeep R Rathore, Punjab National Bank Chief Executive Officer Atul Kumar Goyal, Punjab National Bank General Manager Sakshi Gopal Saha, Reserve Bank of India Agartala Branch General Manager Satwant Singh Sahota and representatives of various banks under the purview of SLBC Committee and officials of various departments were present.