Reviewing Rural Credit

WHILE the urban and industrial sectors appear to have been broadly well-served by many financial institutions like the IDBI, IFCs, ICICI, and growing network of commercial banks, the vast hinterland of rural India appears to be ill-served in credit facilities even four decades after freedom. Agriculture, though vital for the economy in terms of food and inputs for industries, unfortunately suffers from not being as vocal as the urban sector Should this be allowed to come in the way of the well-being of the over 100 million rural households and their progress? Let us not forget that both agriculture and rural development are vital for the health of our economy and for the very survival of democratic framework itself True, there are an array of quite impressive specialised institutions set up for this purpose