Dehradun (The Hawk): On Monday, Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami participated as the chief guest in a State Credit Seminar organized by NABARD at a local hotel, emphasizing the importance of NABARD's role in the development of agriculture, horticulture, and small and medium industries in Uttarakhand. The Chief Minister unveiled the State Focus Policy Paper 2024-25 on this occasion. Expressing gratitude to NABARD, he mentioned that NABARD has prepared a loan scheme of forty thousand crores this year for the development of agriculture, horticulture, and small and medium industries in Uttarakhand, which is more than thirty percent higher compared to the previous year. He stated that this loan scheme is no less than a blessing for small farmers and individuals involved in small and medium enterprises.
The Chief Minister emphasized the need for proper monitoring of the loan system and highlighted the crucial role of banks in reaching out to deserving and eligible individuals with loans, credits, or financial assistance. He urged the banks to ensure that those in need and eligible for loans do not face unnecessary hurdles in formalities related to loans.
Chief Minister Dhami mentioned that the Women's Empowerment Bill has been passed in both houses of Parliament. The state government is providing a 30 percent reservation for women in government jobs in Uttarakhand. He urged NABARD officials to initiate special schemes for women in the state to ensure that they also benefit from these initiatives.
He shared his recent interaction with the beneficiaries of Tehri district, who expressed the significant assistance received through the Empowered Sister Festival scheme. He stressed the need for simplifying procedures for obtaining loans from banks for such schemes.
The Chief Minister stated that the government has formed the Migration Prevention Commission to prevent migration from mountainous areas. He called for a special campaign for loan allocation in mountainous regions to make credit easily accessible to those in need. He emphasized the significant role of banks in this process.
He further highlighted the government's efforts in rural development, basic amenities, connectivity, and infrastructure improvement in remote areas. He underlined the importance of climate and geographical conditions in Uttarakhand for activities such as horticulture, aromatic plants, medicinal plants, dairy, fisheries, beekeeping, mushroom cultivation, and organic farming.
The Chief Minister concluded by stating that the state government is working towards the vision of a developed Uttarakhand with a focus on both urban and rural areas. He stressed the need for banks to actively participate in achieving the goals of the Reverse Migration Mission and the various subsidy and credit-linked schemes for the welfare of the common people.
The event was attended by Cabinet Minister Shri Ganesh Joshi, Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat, Additional Chief Secretary Shrimati Radha Raturi, Shri Anand Bardhan, Secretary Shri B.V.R.C. Purushottam, Shri H.C. Semwal, Shri S.N. Pandey, and representatives from various departments and banks.
