NABARD’s foundation day celebrated

ITANAGAR, 12 Jul: The Arunachal Pradesh regional office (RO) of the National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD) celebrated the bank’s 41st foundation day here on 12 July.

“A slew of projects and development interventions were sanctioned by the RO to mark the day. The interventions include capacity building of farmers, skill development programmes, MEDPs/LEDPs, marketing initiatives and interventions for financial inclusion with cumulative grant assistance of Rs 07.72 lakhs, covering beneficiaries from all over the state,” the NABARD informed in a release.

“Two springshed projects, covering a geographical area of 1,135 hectares

and benefitting 347 beneficiaries, have been sanctioned to revive the springs and address the adaptation and mitigation needs of the people in the identified mini watersheds in Lower Subansiri and Papum Pare districts,” NABARD RO GM Partho Saha said.

The NABARD has also decided to support an initiative for training 60 Eri and Muga rearers to enhance their income through spinning and marketing of yarn, it said.

“The NABARD has also sanctioned assistance for financial literacy campaigns by the major banks in the state. For the first time, some radio jingles have also been prepared and are being broadcast through AIR. Funds have also been allocated for Doordarshan Itanagar for telecasting a video clip on the advantages of digital banking,” it said.

The RO also organised a virtual meeting, which saw the participation of 30 partner NGOs and agencies in the state.

Speaking on the occasion, Saha said that “the association with the NGOs had become imperative as they had not only helped NABARD in increasing its outreach but had also helped it in growing over the years in both experience and capacity.”

The NGOs’ representatives shared their experiences with and expectations from the NABARD. They also spoke about their future plans vis-à-vis collaboration and convergence.

A booklet on the NABARD’s interventions during 2021-22 was released on the occasion.