NCDC disburses Rs 1060 cr

The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) has disbursed financial assistance of Rs 1,060 crore to the cooperative sector ventures for their development in 2004-05. This is nearly 70 per cent more than Rs 626.62 crore given in the previous year.

Much of this assistance has gone to cooperatives engaged in agro-processing, marketing of the farm produce, distribution of farm inputs and the weaker sections' ventures such as poultry, fisheries and handlooms.

The NCDC is the apex cooperative sector body to provide development assistance to cooperative ventures. So far, it has disbursed a total amount of Rs 8,784 crore for this purpose.

In 2004-05, the NCDC's major share of funds of over Rs 432 crore had gone to the agro-processing units like sugar factories, textile units, oilseed projects and factories engaged in the processing of fruits, vegetables and foodgrains. The poultry, fisheries, handloom and other cooperative ventures of the weaker sections received an assistance of Rs 108.58 crore.

Among the states, the maximum NCDC assistance, Rs 185 crore, went to the cooperatives in Andhra Pradesh, followed by Rs 166 crore in Maharashtra, Rs 150 crore in Tamil Nadu and Rs 109 crore in Kerala.

The states have been divided into three broad categories depending on the level of development of the cooperative movement there. The criteria for putting a state in the developed, under-developed or least-developed category are laid down by the Planning Commission.

The recent recategorisation of these states has now put Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Goa among the under-developed states.

The others in this category include Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar islands and Lakshadweep.

Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand have now been added to the least developed category, at par with all the north-eastern states. The NCDC has disbursed Rs 475 crore, or 45 per cent of its total assistance, to the under-developed and least developed states.

Thrust areas for the NCDC assistance during the current year include horticulture, plantation crops and infrastructure development projects along with the regular priority areas. The amount to be disbursed will be decided at the NCDC's annual meeting to be held, here, next week.