Gangtok: FM attends in credit outreach programme of govt schemes

GANGTOK: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday participated in the credit outreach programme of various central government schemes in Gangtok on Tuesday.

During her speech at the event, the Finance Minister said, "I have learnt from Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang that he had given special incentives to the dairy sector of the state that also helps in the local economy, nutrition requirement of the people and the manufacture of value-added products which can give jobs to the people."

The finance minister on Tuesday said she saw NABARD having already moved into the area of multipurpose cooperatives.

"You know the cooperatives ministry was separately started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the cooperatives ministry is looking at a massive setting up of multistate and multipurpose cooperatives which will help the dairy farmers who are members of the multistate cooperatives and will help workers of the handicraft segment at the same time," she added.

Sitharaman said all these activities can be helped by the cooperatives where every member of the cooperative tends to receive the benefits and also the way in which the current scheme, which is envisaged in the Budget. "These cooperatives will be building huge storage capacities," she added.

The Finance minister also released a booklet on 'NABARD's Special Development Plan for the aspirational district in Sikkim' during the Credit Outreach Programme in Gangtok.

Soreng is the only aspirational district in Sikkim, according to a tweet from the finance ministry's official handle.

During the Union finance minister's address, the audience at the credit outreach programme, Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, Department of Financial Services Secretary Vivek Joshi and NABARD Chairman Shaji were present.