Udupi: Deputy Commissioner V. Ponnuraj released the Udupi District Credit Plan for 2007-08 at the review committee meeting held at the zilla panchayat office here on Thursday.

The plan projects an outlay of Rs. 1,164 crore, providing Rs. 211 crore for agriculture, Rs. 352 crore for small-scale industries, Rs. 317 crore for other priority sectors, and Rs. 284 crore to non-priority sector.

Mr. Ponnuraj said that agricultural growth in the district had slowed down despite the availability of land and water in plenty. Nearly two-thirds of the available agricultural land was not cultivated. Mechanisation of agriculture was essential, he said.

Dry-land farming should be given importance. Kisan Credit Cards were being used for renewal of loans, he said, adding that there was a genuine need for increasing the number of cards. The economy of the district was dependent on the tertiary sector. The Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project and other NGOs had a vital role in uplifting the weaker sections such as Kudbis, Mr. Ponnuraj said.

Deputy General Manager of Syndicate Bank K. Devananda Upadhyaya presented the performance of banks in the district in the nine months ending December 2006.

He said that banks in the district had deposits worth Rs. 4,670 crore and advances of Rs. 2,152 crore. The credit-deposit ratio had increased to 46 per cent as against 42 per cent during the corresponding period in the previous year, he said.

During the nine-month period, banks had disbursed loans worth Rs. 953 crore against the target of Rs. 659 crore. Out of this, Rs. 148 crore was given to agriculture, Rs. 195 crore to small-scale industries, Rs. 237 crore to other priority sector, and Rs. 373 crore to non-priority sector.

Banks had financed Rs. 193 crore to weaker sections, Rs. 27 crore to SC/STs, Rs. 196 crore to minorities. They had issued 16,250 Kisan Credit Cards involving Rs. 61 crore, Mr. Upadhyaya said.

President of Udupi Zilla Panchayat B.N. Shankar Poojary, chief executive officer of zilla panchayat P. Hemalatha, assistant general manager of NABARD Praveenraj Udupa, manager of Reserve Bank of India P.A. Davis, planning director at zilla panchayat Nagesh Raikar, and lead district manager G. Premnath were present.

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