NAFSCOB chairman asks banks to encourage unemployed youth to take up Agri Clinics, Agri Business Centres
Karimnagar: National Federation of State Cooperative Banks Limited (NAFSCOB) chairman Konduru Ravinder Rao has called upon the banks to encourage the unemployed graduates and diploma holders in agriculture to take up Agri Clinics and Agri Business Centres (AC and ABC) scheme of the union government through NABARD.
Participating in a workshop organised by NABARD Karimnagar cluster office on the occasion of its 41st foundation on AC and ABC programme of submission on agriculture extension at Karimnagar DCCB main office in Karimnagar town on Tuesday (July 12), Mr Ravinder Rao said that “It is a good scheme, but there was no good patronage. We should promote such a programme as it would solve unemployment problems and turn educated youth into agripreneurs”.
Stating that the agriculture had turned into a business now, he said that the farmers need extension services. The grounding of AC and ABC scheme would definitely solve the problems of farmers and encourage the good production of food grains and value addition to their produce, he stated. Accordingly, the state government had appointed more than 3,000 agricultural extension officers and constructed Rythu vedikas to help the farmers, he added.
Calling upon the bankers to give a fillip to the ambitious AC and ABC scheme of NABARD, he hoped that it would take wings and help the farming community and strive to fulfil the NABARD goal of rural development. The Agri clinics and Agri business centres would help in transferring modern technology to the farmers, he stated.
NABARD DDM P Ananth said that the AC and ABC scheme was launched in 2002 but could not progress as expected. In order to popularise the scheme and help educated unemployed graduates secure employment by returning as entrepreneurs, he said that they had launched the awareness programme educating the bankers to launch the scheme.
Under the scheme, the selected individuals would get financial assistance of Rs 20 lakhs and a group of five would get Rs 1 crore. The capital subsidy of 36 per cent would be given to the general category and 44 percent for women and people from SC and ST communities. The selected persons would be given 45 days training and help them launch their start-ups in the villages.
District Agriculture officer V Sreedhar, ATMA project director Priyadarshini, Agriculture scientist Dr Manjulatha, LDM Anjaneyulu, Karimnagar DCCB CEO N Satyanarayana, PACS development centre resource person G Satyanarayana, representatives from various banks, farmers, NGOs and others were also present.
