<p class="title">West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra on Friday said the cooperative banks in the state have lent Rs. 36,000 <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525093240033641022">crore</gwmw> in the last five years and urged the lenders to extend the services in rural areas.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a bid to bring <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525113259358277722">unbanked</gwmw> areas under the institutional credit network, the state government will provide space inside <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525113258603123358">panchayat</gwmw> offices so that banks can set up branches, he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Total lending by cooperative banks in the state stood at Rs 36,000 crore in the last five years," the minister said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Speaking at the 'Samabay Mela', Mitra said there is a need to "deepen and extend the cooperative movement" in the state.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Under the 'Krishak Bondhu'scheme- a farmers' welfare <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525163117667358621">programme</gwmw>, the state has disbursed Rs. 601 <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525172887900929481">crore</gwmw> in 2018, benefitting 39 <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525172881266108086">lakh</gwmw> farmers and sharecroppers", he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The West Bengal government has extended Rs. 430 crore under the scheme this year, helping 27.4 <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525193132605230396">lakh</gwmw> cultivators, Mitra added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The vision of the state government <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525202911523177620">emphasises</gwmw> on "no <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525202917398693833">unbanked</gwmw> <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525202917704235756">panchayats</gwmw>" in West Bengal, the minister said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"For this, banks will be given space inside <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525213293596443348">panchayat</gwmw> offices to set up their branches", he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Mitra said the state cooperation department has set up customer service points (CSPs) so that people can carry banking transactions like RTGS and NEFT to transfer money. </p>
<p class="title">West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra on Friday said the cooperative banks in the state have lent Rs. 36,000 <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525093240033641022">crore</gwmw> in the last five years and urged the lenders to extend the services in rural areas.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a bid to bring <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525113259358277722">unbanked</gwmw> areas under the institutional credit network, the state government will provide space inside <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525113258603123358">panchayat</gwmw> offices so that banks can set up branches, he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Total lending by cooperative banks in the state stood at Rs 36,000 crore in the last five years," the minister said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Speaking at the 'Samabay Mela', Mitra said there is a need to "deepen and extend the cooperative movement" in the state.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Under the 'Krishak Bondhu'scheme- a farmers' welfare <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525163117667358621">programme</gwmw>, the state has disbursed Rs. 601 <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525172887900929481">crore</gwmw> in 2018, benefitting 39 <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525172881266108086">lakh</gwmw> farmers and sharecroppers", he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The West Bengal government has extended Rs. 430 crore under the scheme this year, helping 27.4 <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525193132605230396">lakh</gwmw> cultivators, Mitra added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The vision of the state government <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525202911523177620">emphasises</gwmw> on "no <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525202917398693833">unbanked</gwmw> <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525202917704235756">panchayats</gwmw>" in West Bengal, the minister said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"For this, banks will be given space inside <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-1" id="gwmw-15774525213293596443348">panchayat</gwmw> offices to set up their branches", he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Mitra said the state cooperation department has set up customer service points (CSPs) so that people can carry banking transactions like RTGS and NEFT to transfer money. </p>