Jammu, Mar 16: National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) organized a one day “Bankers’ Meet on Self Help Groups at Rajouri.
 The Meet was chaired by M L Sukhdeve Chief General Manager NABARD, Regional Office Jammu and Kashmir and inaugurated by J P Singh District Development Commissioner Rajouri.
 M A Khan Vice, President J & K Bank, K C Dogra Lead District Manager, officials from various departments of state Government, NGOs, and officials from J & K Bank, J & K Grameen Bank, State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank and Cooperative banks participated in the Meet.
 While inaugurating the Meet, District Development Commissioner, J P Singh stated that micro finance has made tremendous strides in India over the years and it has become a household name in view of the multi-pronged benefits reaped from micro finance services by the poor in our country.
 “Self Help Groups (SHGs) have become the common vehicles of development process, converging all development programmes for alleviation of poverty”, Singh said. Singh further impressed upon the need for involvement of Government officials, banks, NGOs and other agencies to come forward for formation and linkage of Self Help Groups to provide livelihood to the rural poor, particularly rural women. He stated that district Rajouri has large number of BPL households in rural areas which need to be brought in the ambit of Self Help Groups by the implementing agencies.
 M L Sukhdeve Chief General Manager NABARD in his keynote address said that SHG–Bank Linkage Programme launched by NABARD way back in 1992 envisaging synthesis of formal financial system and informal sector has become a movement throughout the country.
 “It is considered as the largest micro finance programme in terms of outreach in the world and many other countries are keen to replicate this model. As on 31 March 2009, there are more than 61 lakh saving-linked SHGs and more than 42 lakh credit-linked SHGs and thus, about 8.6 crore poor households are covered under the programme,” Sukhdeve added.
 Explaining objective of the meet, Sukhdeve said that Micro finance sector has covered a long journey from micro savings to micro credit and then to micro enterprises and now entered the field of micro insurance, micro remittance, micro pension and micro livelihood.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 IST