Hyderabad, March 21 : Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Friday urged the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to provide loans at low interest rates under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) to support development projects in the state.

Revanth Reddy also requested the NABARD to sanction the required funds for micro-irrigation, saying they are crucial for enhancing agricultural productivity in the state. He made the request when NABARD Chairman Shaji K.V. called on him at the state Secretariat here on Friday.

They discussed key initiatives aimed at strengthening rural infrastructure, cooperative societies, and financial support for various sectors in Telangana.

Recognising the role of cooperative societies in rural economic growth, the Chief Minister appealed to the NABARD to strengthen existing cooperative societies and facilitate the establishment of new ones.

During the meeting, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and NABARD Chairman Shaji also discussed strengthening the women's self-help groups.

The NABARD Chairman was urged to design and launch a special scheme for women's groups.

To boost milling capacity in the state, the CM proposed integrating NABARD's schemes with IKP (Indira Kranthi Patham), warehouses, and rice mills. He also stressed the importance of utilising funds sanctioned under the NABARD schemes by March 31 and called for maximizing the use of NABARD schemes in the next financial year.

The Chief Minister recommended linking the maintenance of solar plants provided to women's self-help groups with the NABARD to ensure long-term sustainability. He also urged the NABARD to support rural connectivity initiatives for new gram panchayats, improving access to essential services in remote areas.

On this occasion, the NABARD Chairman proposed to the Chief Minister to constitute District Cooperative Central Banks (DCCBs) in the new districts to strengthen the cooperative banking sector.

Tandur MLA Manohar Reddy and NABARD representatives were also present during the meeting.

/IANS