NABARD will support Haryana's rural development: Khattar

Development bank Nabard will provide financial assistance of Rs 12,000 crore to Haryana in 2017-18 to support rural development, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said today.
Nabard chairman Harsh Kumar Bhanwala today called on Haryana Chief Minister today, an official release said.
In the meeting, Chief Minister showed keen interest in providing basic infrastructure facilities in rural areas at par with urban areas.
He said that government has formulated "Gram Uday Programme" for providing amenities like village streets, cremation ground, gram sachvaalaya, drinking water and drainage in villages with population more than 3000.
This programme with a proposed outlay of Rs 5000 crore needs support under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), he said, according to an official release here.

Bhanwala informed that agriculture has a huge water requirement and an irrigation efficiency fund of Rs 5,000 crore is being operationalised through NABARD in 2017-18.

The government may initiate water conservation measures by using the fund. Apart from this, dairy infrastructure fund of Rs 8,000 crore was also being operationalised through NABARD in the current financial year.
The milk processing infrastructure created during Operation Flood needs renovation and the state government may pose projects under the same, he added.
Bhanwala further indicated that the rural infrastructure spending by the state government was around Rs 8,000 crore.
It would be cost effective for the government if the entire allocations and the drawables under RIDF are utilised as these funds are available at very competitive rates, he said.

He apprised the Chief Minister about adaptation and mitigation measures to counter the effects of climate change on rural livelihoods.
Paddy straw burning in Haryana has emerged as a big issue in view of pollution effects in the NCR and increase in greenhouse gases.