Nabard chief general manager D.V. Deshpande on Friday said Bihar’s phenomenal growth had prompted the financial institution to increase the funds offered to the state in the last fiscal.

In 2012-13, Nabard gave Rs 2,842 crore to rural and co-operative banks and the state government to provide agriculture loans and build rural infrastructure.

It was an increase of 65 per cent from the amount provided the previous year. In 2011-12, the bank gave Rs 1,715 crore to the state.

Deshpande said: “Bihar’s growth story is phenomenal.”

For the current fiscal (2013-14), Nabard has set a target of distributing 10 lakh RuPay Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) to farmers through co-operative and rural banks, said Deshpande, adding that these would enable the KCC holders to withdraw money through ATMs of any bank.