Bhubaneswar: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) conducted its State Credit Seminar for the financial year 2025-26 in Bhubaneswar today, unveiling the State Focus Paper for Odisha. The paper projects an overall credit potential of ₹2,52,000 crore for the priority sector, emphasizing agriculture and allied industries.
The seminar was inaugurated by Odisha’s Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, who commended NABARD for its timely completion of the credit planning exercise. He urged banks to significantly boost credit flow into the state’s priority sector, particularly in agriculture, to complement the government’s infrastructure and investment efforts. He also underscored the need to support Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) to drive socio-economic growth and increase farmers’ incomes.
Odisha Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, IAS, highlighted the state’s rapid growth and stressed the importance of improving the quality of lending. He called for expanding credit access at the grassroots level, broadening Kisan Credit Card (KCC) coverage, and increasing financial support for startups. He also emphasized the immense potential in allied sectors like dairy, goat farming, and fisheries, urging banks to step up their credit flow to these industries.
NABARD’s Chief General Manager, Dr. Sudhanshu K.K. Mishra, noted that achieving the projected credit target would require a collective effort from banks, government agencies, and stakeholders. He emphasized the importance of strengthening Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and increasing financial outreach to rural communities. He also highlighted NABARD’s ongoing support in rural infrastructure, tribal development, watershed management, and micro-entrepreneurship programs aimed at enhancing rural livelihoods.
Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Cooperation Department, Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, IAS, lauded NABARD’s efforts in financing Tribal Development Fund (TDF), WADI, and Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) in remote rural areas. He emphasized the state’s focus on cooperative and livelihood sectors and called for urgent improvements in credit flow from banks to meet priority sector targets. He urged financial institutions to reassess their strategies and remove operational hurdles to enhance credit accessibility.
The seminar was attended by senior officials, including Goutam Patra, Convenor of SLBC, along with bank executives, government officials, and representatives from SHGs and farmers’ groups. The discussions reinforced the commitment to strengthening Odisha’s rural economy through enhanced financial inclusion and sectoral growth.
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