WB achieves SHG credit linkage target for 3rd consecutive year

West Bengal has achieved the Self Help Group credit linkage target for the year 2016-17 set out by the National Rural Livelihood Mission.

It has done so by credit linking of about 2.25 lakh of SHGs with a financial outlay of about Rs 3,330 crore, recording a 65 per cent growth over its result in preceding year.

"With this the state has achieved its target set out by the NRLM for the third consecutive year," West Bengal Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Subrata Mukherjee said this at a prgramme.

The minister also said that only three states in the country - Bihar, Karnataka and West Bengal - have achieved the target this year.
 

"West Bengal has achieved the distinction of becoming the third largest state in terms of number of SHGs credit linked and fifth largest state in terms of credit mobilised for SHGs," Mukherjee said.

Against the SHG target of credit linkage for 2016-17 set out by the NRLM at Rs 3274.90 crore, West Bengal achieved Rs 3329.81 crore (102 per cent).

But at the national level achievement of the credit disbursement to the SHGs for 2016-17 was Rs 37,001 crore, 90 per cent of the NRLM target of Rs 41,273 crore.

In terms of number of SHGs credit linked at the national level, the success was 92 per cent with the achievement of 15.67 lakh against the NRLM target of 16.98 lakh.

Buoyed by the achievement, Mukherjee said that they have set the total credit target of Rs 5003.52 crore for 3,07,880 SHGs for the year 2017-18 after a threadbare discussion in the State Level Bankers' Committee (SLBC) meeting.

West Bengal State Rural Livelihoods Mission (WBSRLM) was formally launched as 'Anandadhara' on May 17, 2012 by the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Mukherjee said.

Lauding the bankers, mainly the members of the SLBC, Mukherjee said that this achievement was only possible because of their cooperation.

Mukherjee hoped that the bankers would enhance their limit to disburse credits to the SHGs and set up a cordial environment where beneficiaries could comfortably pay back the loans they took. "This will boost the SHG movement and help alleviate poverty," he added.

Urging bankers to be more liberal about disbursement of loans to the SHGs, state Finance Secretary H K Dwivedi and Self Help Group and Self Employment Secretary Anil Verma said that the SLBC meeting should be held on a regular basis at the block level and the process for disbursement of loans should be more simplified.

The RBI General Manager, FIDD, Dimple Bhandia, CGM NABARD A K Raybarman, UBI General Manager and SLBC Convenor Manas Dhar and other SLBC members lauded the state's achievement and assured to extend all cooperation.