Improvement in economy should be top priority: Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that improvement in the economy should be the top priority in the view of current economic conditions. He also urged nationalised banks to consider one-time settlement of loans of farmers in the state to further strengthen the agriculture sector.

Gehlot was addressing the State Level Credit Seminar organised by NABARD here on Wednesday. The chief minister released the State Focus Paper of the year 2020-21 of NABARD. In this paper, NABARD has assessed a loan disbursement of Rs 2,11,659 crore to priority sectors in the state. Out of which 65 percent has been earmarked for agriculture, 22 per cent for MSME and the remaining 13 percent for other priority sectors.

Chief Secretary D B Gupta said that banks should strive vigorously towards achieving the goal of disbursing loans to priority sectors. This will help in improving the social and economic condition of the people in rural areas and in better implementation of the schemes of the state government.

Gehlot said that just as the nationalised banks have given relief to industrialists by making one-time settlement of loans, they should consider one-time settlement of loans of farmers in the state to further strengthen the agriculture sector. Chief General Manager of NABARD, Suresh Chandra said that under the State Focus Paper, the main focus of NABARD this year is on high-tech agriculture. He said that the state government was encouraging Farmer Producer Groups (FPOs) and MSMEs.