Agartala, February 13 (TIWN): 5 lakhs 68 thousand 725 farmers get Kishan Credit Card in the consecutive years. Besides that in the previous financial years, a loan on Krishan Credit Card was given to 3lakhs 88 thousand 432 persons. Replying to a question raised by MLA Manoranjan Acharjee, Agriculture Minister, and Aghore Debbarma had told this in the Assembly session.

The Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme introduced in August 1998 has emerged as an innovative credit delivery mechanism to meet the production credit requirements of the farmers in a timely and hassle-free manner. The scheme is under implementation in the entire country by the vast institutional credit framework involving Commercial Banks, RRBs and Cooperatives and has received wide acceptability amongst bankers and farmers. However, during the last 15 years of implementation, many impediments were encountered by policy makers, implementing banks and the farmers in the implementation of the scheme. Recommendations of various Committees appointed by GoI and studies conducted by NABARD also corroborate this fact. It was, therefore, felt necessary to revisit the existing KCC Scheme to make it truly simple and hassle free for both the farmers and bankers. Accordingly, Ministry of Finance, Dept of Financial services, Govt of India had constituted a Working Group under the Chairmanship of Shri T. M. Bhasin, CMD of Indian Bank to review the Kisan Credit Card to suggest changes to be made in the KCC scheme to make it a Smart Card cum Debit Card.