'We have been able to mobilise people at grassroots level'

Q&A: JR Sarangal, CGM (Punjab and Haryana), Nabard

Shrinking employment opportunities in the private sector due to the global meltdown have restricted the movement of workers from rural to urban areas. Creating job opportunities in the hinterland has become essential to absorb the surplus workforce in these areas. The role of various schemes refinanced by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) is seen as a tool to enhance the employment opportunities. In an interview with Komal Amit Gera, Chief General Manager (Punjab and Haryana) JR Sarangal talks about the projects in the pipeline and the synergy developed with NGOs for the beneficiaries. Excerpts:

With the government announcing two financial packages in the wake of the financial downturn, what role will Nabard play for re-financing funds among the rural people?
We got an annual fund of Rs 7,000 crore for the two states (Punjab and Haryana) in 2008-09 and expect to get Rs 8,000 crore for 2009-10 for various schemes proposed.

How much of the farm debt waiver, announced by the government last year, was distributed by the institutions refinanced by you?
The debt waiver claim for Punjab and Haryana was to the tune of Rs 1,696 crore, out of which Rs 951 crore (about 56 per cent) was refinanced by Nabard through Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) and cooperative banks.

The growth of self-help groups has been slower in this part of the country than other states. Has there been any progress?
In the past two years, we have been able to mobilise people at the grassroots level. While 26,000 self-help groups in Haryana are credit-linked, the figure in Punjab is about 23,000. The number should have been more in Punjab as it is bigger than Haryana. But, due to the structure of the community (the strong patriarchal society), it’s lagging behind.

What measures are you taking to ensure that the projects are implemented effectively?
Last year, we sanctioned Rs 3,400 crore under rural infrastructure funds to Punjab. Of this, Rs 2,300 crore has been disbursed till December 2008. For Haryana, Rs 2,127 crore was sanctioned, of which Rs 1,500 crore has been disbursed till the same month.

What progress have you made on the Village Development Programme?
We are working towards implementing the Village Development Programme. Thirty-six villages have been identified in Punjab and Haryana and the programme has been launched in 13 villages.

What is the role of non-government organisations (NGOs) in the region?
We get tremendous support from NGOs for implementing the Skill Development Programme for Youth in rural areas. We are associated with 45 NGOs in Punjab and Haryana, and have sanctioned 50 such programmes with an assistance of Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 lakh in the current year.