ITANAGAR, 11 Feb: Chief Secretary Manish Gupta released the NABARD regional office’ (RO) state focus paper for 2025-26, projecting a credit potential of Rs 1,689.90 crores under the priority sector, during a ‘State credit seminar for FY 2025-26’ organised by the NABARD RO at DK Convention Hall on Tuesday.
The chief secretary in his address commended the NABARD’s efforts in preparing the state focus paper, calling it “a valuable resource for strategic planning.” He acknowledged the vast potential for horticulture and agriculture in the state, crediting Arunachal Pradesh’ favourable soil moisture levels. However, he pointed out that conventional training
programmes at ITIs and skill development centres are not sufficient to meet the state’s evolving workforce needs.
He stressed the importance of skilling programmes in adventure tourism, including mountaineering and skating, to create employment opportunities for the youths. Additionally, he noted that the hydropower sector in Arunachal is still in its early stages, and called for collaboration with the NHPC and the NEEPCO to train and guide the state’s youths “for future employment in this sector.”
He said that Arunachal has forest cover of more than 70%, “which can become hotspot for generating income while preserving nature, and can generate income for the rural population of the state.”
NABARD RO General Manager Damodar Mishra highlighted the NABARD’s critical role in credit planning and rural development. He highlighted the bank’s initiatives in farm and off-farm sectors, institutional development and financial inclusion, including promotion of geographical indications, implementation of demonstrative projects using technology, supporting farmers-producers organisations, developing marketing platforms, management of natural resources, and climate change.
Finance Commissioner YW Ringu in her address observed that, while the corpus under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund has declined in several states, the allocation for Arunachal has remained unchanged. She urged bankers and other stakeholders to work towards expanding credit outreach, particularly to underserved communities.
Reserve Bank of India, Itanagar, General Manager (OIC) Abhijit Majumdar underscored the importance of the state focus paper, saying that it plays a key role in guiding banks’ credit planning and supporting government departments in designing development projects.
During the interaction sessions and open discussions, representatives of the NABARD’s partner agencies shared their insights and success stories.
Representatives from the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, the Arunachal State Rural Livelihoods Mission, the Soil Conservation Department, Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU), the State Cooperative Bank, RM, SBI and SLBC convener, and other stakeholders provided updates on ongoing projects supported by the NABARD, and discussed their progress and impact.
RGU Vice-Chancellor (i/c) Prof SK Nayak emphasised the essential role of institutions in driving rural development. He highlighted the importance of strengthening farmers’ cooperatives and establishing a structured buyback mechanism for agricultural produce to ensure better incomes for farmers.
The seminar saw active participation of government officials, bank representatives, and NGOs, with discussions centred on enhancing credit flow, financing rural infrastructure, and strengthening the rural credit ecosystem.
