Amritsar, May 26
Union Minister of State for Finance Dr Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad has said the performance of Punjab’s banks is better than that of many other states in the country but still many sectors needed to be improved. He was in the city to attend the 160th meeting of all banks of the state today.
Addressing the meeting, Karad said there was no shortage of money in the banks, so the banks should increase the credit facilities in the rural areas of Punjab, which would not only increase the profit of banks, but also help people self-reliant. He told the officials to further increase the number of Prime Minister’s Jan Dhan Account, Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) and RuPay Cards, which would make people financially strong.
Karad also congratulated the banks in Amritsar, Barnala and Fatehgarh Sahib districts for providing loans as per their target. Speaking on the issue of online frauds, Karad said in collaboration with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Assistance (NABARD), we are sending one financial awareness van in each district to educate people on keeping themselves safe online.
The Union Minister also issued loan to 300 beneficiaries of various government schemes. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said by giving loans to farmer groups the banks could contribute to reduce the input cost and increase profit. Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, KP Sinha sought the cooperation of the Centre for stockpiling agricultural products of Punjab. “We are producing much more wheat than we need, but we lack modern facilities for storage of food grains and other crops,” he said.
Enhance credit facilities in villages: MoS to banks
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