NABARD, Odisha Regional Office registered a record as financial support to state government, banks and corporations during 2017-18 crossed Rs 1,7195 crore.

Developmental Financial Assistance by NABARD in Odisha, which was Rs 8,368 crore during 2015-16, doubled more within 2 years span.

Talking to reporters here on Thursday, Dr K C Panigrahi, CGM, NABARD said over the years Odisha has been one of the biggest beneficiaries under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) of NABARD, under which loans are extended to the State Government for critical rural infrastructure projects in sectors like Irrigation, Roads, Bridges, etc. Under RIDF, NABARD disbursed concessional loan of Rs 2,512 crore to Odisha during 2017-18.

The projects include Rs 1,500 crore for 14 mega lift irrigation projects, Rs 220 crore for 612 community based Lift Irrigation projects, Rs 128 crore for construction of bridge over river Mahanadi in Cuttack district, Rs 217 crore for construction of 17 Flood Protection projects etc.

NABARD has extended financial assistance of about Rs 15,000 crore in the State under RIDF, has resulted in bringing in an estimated 23 lakh Ha of area under irrigation and construction of roads and bridges having length of about 10,000 Km and about 1.15 lakh metres.

It has been providing liquidity support by way of Short Term Refinance to Cooperative Banks and RRBs for meeting the credit needs of farmers for their agricultural operations at subsidized rates of interest.

During 2017-18, refinance for short term loans to the tune of Rs. 7,930 crore was disbursed to the Cooperative Banks in the State. It has also refinanced commercial banks, state cooperative bank and conducted a number of workshops for bank officials while preparing area development scheme for upscaling bank finance.

To supplement the efforts of banks in the State for supporting various activities connected with agriculture, NABARD has also started a direct lending window.

Under this facility, an amount of Rs 4,585 crore was disbursed to the Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation for its paddy procurement operations, during the year 2017-18.

Cumulatively, a total of 109 watershed projects are under implementation in the State, as at the end of March 2018, with financial assistance of Rs 50.34 crore and benefitting 24,000 families and an area of nearly 83,000 Ha.

A total of 56 tribal development projects are under implementation in the state, as at the end of March 2017, with total financial support of Rs 108.26 crore for plantation activities, soil and moisture conservation works, irrigation development and livelihood support, benefitting more than 46,000 tribal families.

Green Climate Fund with an outlay of Rs 220 crore has been sanctioned. The major focus areas for FY 2018-19 is supporting irrigation facilities in the State by providing financial assistance under special Long Term Irrigation Fund, in addition to RIDF.

Digitization of community level organizations, technology adoption by the RFIs (Rural Financial Institutions) and providing replicable and innovative development models in both farm and off-farm sectors remain on the top of the agenda for NABARD during 2018-19.