ELURU: The West Godavari district Annual Credit Plan for 2006-07 was unveiled here on Wednesday with an outlay of Rs. 3,000 crores -- an overall increase by 37 per cent when compared to the previous year's credit plan. The allocation for agriculture is more by 42 per cent and housing finance by 106 per cent when compared to the previous year's plan.

Housing finance under Rajiv Gruha Kalpa and the other urban housing schemes has received Rs. 205 crores while Rs. 406.08 crores was allocated for the different Government-sponsored programmes as against Rs. 110.13 crores last year. It is proposed to allocate Rs. 90.5 crores for financing the self-help groups.

The Andhra Bank (Lead Bank) Deputy General Manager A. Rajendra Prasad, speaking at a function held in this connection, claimed to have made a sincere attempt to match the credit plan with the Potential Linked Plan prepared by National Agricultural Bank for Rural Development in terms of sector-wise projections, which resulted in a `narrow' gap of 2.5 per cent. However, Assistant General Manager, NABARD, G. Veera Prasad, pointed out that the allocation of Rs. 120 crores figuring in the credit plan did not match the ground realities. It is not the credit for purchase of milking cattle that the farmers required now, but the marketing assistance from Government and a fair deal in milk rates, he added. Unveiling the credit plan, incharge Collector B. Ramanjaneyulu exhorted the bankers to strive to bridge the gap between the amount of institutional credit available for agriculture and the demand for it. He observed that 60 per cent of farmers were depending on private lending offered at higher interest rates in the district, bringing to the fore the need for bankers to take their credit facility to the uncovered and needy people.

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