Bhubaneswar: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development's financial aid to Odisha has crossed the Rs 10,000 crore mark, even before the end of the third quarter of the 2017-18 fiscal.

During the 2016-17 fiscal, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) had made financial assistance to the tune of Rs 14,715 crore to the Odisha government and the banks.

Nabard sources revealed that it had extended Rs 4,861 crore to the co-operative banks for crop production by about three million farmers in Odisha under the refinance channel. Banks have also availed themselves of Rs 624 crore in credit support, facilitating the creation of private-sector farm assets, under the long-term refinance.

Nabard made a Rs 2,118-crore support to the Odisha government that it had channelled into creation of rural infrastructure such as roads and bridges, lift irrigation, piped drinking water projects, warehousing and irrigation.

Since the inception of the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund in 1995-96, Nabard has sanctioned cumulative aide of Rs 19,950 crore to the government, resulting in implementation of about 2.24 lakh projects. These include 9,700km road network, 1.2 lakh metres bridge network and irrigation on 27.61 lakh hectares.

Of late, Nabard has started extending credit support to Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation to procure paddy from farmers in the state. Till date, it has extended financial assistance of Rs 3,085 crore during the current fiscal.

Besides providing financial assistance for development to the Odisha government and the banks, Nabard also undertakes numerous programmes on its own. "We have launched a sensitisation programme for the rural masses about water conservation, preservation and efficient use of water, and initiated a massive water campaign, which has already reached 5,556 villages," said a Nabard official.