Srinagar, July 2: The third meeting of the Steering Committee of SLBC on monitoring progress in implementation of the Agriculture Debt Waiver/ Debt Relief Scheme-2008 was held here at J&K Bank, Corporate Headquarters on June 30, 2008. The meeting was chaired by the Regional Director, RBI (J&K), and was attended by the representatives from Finance Department (J&K), RBI, NABARD, and other major banks operating in the State including J&K Bank, SBI and PNB.
Taking a thorough review of the progress achieved by all the banks operating in the State the Committee observed that all the banks including Commercial Banks, RRBs and Cooperative Banks taken together have so far identified 31425 beneficiaries amounting to Rs.64.61 Crores for Debt Waiver and 2445 beneficiaries amounting to Rs.8.36 Crores for Debt Relief (under OTS).
After detailed deliberations in the matter, the following decisions were taken for immediate implementation:  All the lending institutions operating in the State were advised to prepare crystallized lists of beneficiaries under the Agriculture Debt Waiver/ Debt Relief Scheme-2008 to be displayed at their branches for information of the beneficiaries. The beneficiaries/ Farmers are advised to check their names in the list displayed in their respective bank branches. If there is any grievance with regard to debt waiver/ debt relief they can lodge written complaints with the Grievance Redressal Officer of the concerned bank branch whose
name and contact details are also displayed in the branches. All the lending institutions operating in the State were advised to prepare district wise crystallized position under debt waiver and debt relief scheme 2008 of their bank in J&K State on the format in vogue to be
submitted to Convenor SLBC J&K Bank Corporate Headquarters Srinagar. In order to review the outcome of the Agriculture Debt Waiver/ Debt Relief Scheme-2008 with respect to the seven identified special districts, i.e. Udhampur, Ramban, Reasi, Kishtwar, Doda, Leh and Kargil, and the progress achieved in the matter shall be reviewed in the next Steering Committee meeting, date for which shall be conveyed separately. All the member banks shall ensure that the beneficiaries concerned are given a certificate in the format prescribed by GOI to the effect that the eligible loan amount has been waived and relief granted, regarding which detailed instructions stand since conveyed to all the member lending institutions.
The Committee observed with satisfaction that the persistent monitoring of the progress by Steering Committee of SLBC (J&K) has ensured accomplishment of the task of identifying the beneficiaries under the Scheme within the prescribed time schedule. The Committee also expressed its satisfaction that the guidance and instructions provided to the banks by SLBC (J&K) were being observed scrupulously by the banks.