| In its paper "Punjab (2006-07)", the bank has outlined its plans for the rural haat scheme. |
| Nabard will give an assistance of 80 per cent of the cost of a project or Rs 3 lakh (whichever is less) to two gram panchayats in each of the District Rural Industries Project for setting up rural haats on a pilot basis. |
| A senior official of Nabard said the rural haat scheme, implemented through elected gram panchayats with grants and soft loans, would provide communities the basic marketing infrastructure for farm and non-farm produce. |
| The bank would also facilitate the establishment of women development centres in cooperative banks for better economic independence of rural women and for improving credit flow to them. Some women development centres are already operational in several parts of the state. |
| Nabard is also on the path to revive the handloom sector, beset with marketing problems due to obsolete technology and conventional designs used by majority of weavers, in the state. |
| The official said there was an urgent need for quality improvement in this sector for which the bank had launched a scheme called Skill Upgrade and Design Development for Handloom Weavers (Sudha). |
| The scheme targets members of the Primary Weavers Cooperative Societies (PWCS) or registered NGOs involved in the social welfare of handloom weavers. |
| The sector occupies a significant place in the state's economy in terms of employment potential and income generation. |
| Nabard has also launched Arwind (Assistance for Rural Women in Non-farm Development). As part of this initiative, rural women would be organised in groups and trained in entrepreneurship and skill enhancement. |
| The project will enable them to set up their own enterprises with credit support from banks, voluntary agencies or NGOs. |
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