Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 13 : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu welcomed Deputy Managing Director of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Goverdhan Singh Rawat, during a meeting at his official residence in Oak Over, on Saturday.
The Chief Minister appreciated the pivotal role played by NABARD's Regional Office in strengthening coordination between the State Government and NABARD's Head Office, thereby ensuring the speedy resolution of important issues, as stated in the release.
Sukhu asked NABARD to consider ground-mounted solar projects as eligible for funding under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), noting that such projects would help Panchayats achieve energy self-sufficiency and advance the State Government's vision of Green Himachal.
He also requested the inclusion of electric buses under RIDF support.
Highlighting the unique challenges of hill states, the Chief Minister called for separate norms for the 11 hill states while deciding annual state-wise allocations. He suggested that parameters such as forest cover, greening initiatives and ecological contributions must be considered in the process.
The Chief Minister also asked NABARD to assist the State Planning Department in developing robust and seamless supply and value chains in Fisheries and Animal Husbandry, from the farm gate to the consumer, aimed at enhancing farmers' income.
He further emphasised the need to reform long-established procedures by delegating greater flexibility to state governments to make project-specific changes during the execution phase of NABARD-approved programmes.
NABARD officers highlighted challenges faced by cooperative societies due to Section 118 provisions, which limit their functioning. They also suggested assigning the task of milk procurement to Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS), rather than creating new societies and expediting the computerisation of PACS.
The Chief Minister assured that all suggestions from NABARD would be duly examined and, if practical, integrated into the State's development strategy.
He reiterated the State Government's openness to innovative ideas that contribute to sustainable growth and rural prosperity. NABARD officials, in turn, assured the Chief Minister that his suggestions would be taken up at the highest level and efforts would be made to incorporate them into future guidelines.