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Ishrat opens micro finance pilot project in Badin

BADIN: State Bank of Pakistan Governor Dr. Ishrat on Saturday said that major steps were being taken on priority basis to ameliorate socio-economic conditions of poor living in far flung areas.

Speaking on the occasion of inauguration of micro finance pilot project for poverty alleviation at Circuit House Badin, he said poverty alleviation programme being implemented through mobilisation of human resources at grass-roots level would help in overcoming the problem of economic backwardness and unemployment on self-help basis. This programme would bring rural areas at the level of urban towns, he added.

He urged the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) officers to serve the humanity whole-heartedly and assured that the State Bank would extend every co-operation in this regard. He said such programmes of World Bank in third world countries like Bangladesh, Korea, India and others had produced positive results.

He specially mentioned beneficial role of banks in business, and agricultural sector.

Earlier National Bank of Pakistan President, Mohammadmian Soomro said calamity had wrecked objectives of micro finance pilot project for poverty alleviation in all six branches of NBP in Badin district who were authorised to advance loans to village community members for which trained credit officers were given the task. He said loan would be recovered in easy instalments so that this could be further advanced other deserving people.

The NBP's Regional Executive Ahmed Ali Khan said 40 applications were received by NBP Badin through 22 villages community committees of 45 villages. Later, they went to village Khan Mohammad Nizamani where he distributed cheques among six persons under the scheme. PPI