Rs106 cr loan plan for Lahaul & Spiti

Major portion of the amount to be spent on agriculture sector: DC

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Tribune News Service

Mandi, August 29

Deputy Commissioner, Lahaul & Spiti, Neeraj Kumar has said that the annual loan plan for the current financial year for the district is Rs 106 crore. A major portion of the loan amount will be spent on the agriculture sector.

Neeraj said that Rs 77.86 crore had been earmarked for the agriculture sector, while Rs 10.88 crore had been fixed for setting up various enterprises under the Department of Industries. In other priority sector, too, Rs 8.25-crore loans would be given by banks.

While reviewing the Mukhyamantri Swavalambhan Yojana, he said, “Under the scheme, the target was to approve 60 cases for the current financial year, of which a loan facility has been given to the beneficiaries in 42 cases.”

Regarding 18 pending cases, he said the Industries Department and various banks should ensure financial help to the beneficiaries by approving the cases without delay by establishing mutual coordination.

Neeraj stressed the need to involve farmers in beekeeping and mushroom production. He said that beekeeping and mushroom production could be a good source of income for farmers, who do not have cultivable land. For beekeeping, there was up to 80 per cent subsidy under the scheme run by the state government.

He directed the Horticulture Department to form a group of farmers to make beekeeping a business enterprise. He said that farmers would also be taken to visit Dabur Honey’s production unit in Kullu district. So, they can know the benefits of joining this business.

He said that special efforts were needed to provide banking services to the villages of Tingret and Chimrat panchayats of the Lahaul valley which are not yet fully connected with banking services.