RBI advises banks to make Aadhaar card linkage mandatory for crop loans

Mumbai, Aug 16 (IANS) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday advised commercial banks to make Aadhaar cards linkage mandatory for farmers to avail short-term crop loans in 2017-18.

The advice to all public and private sector scheduled commercial banks was sent through a RBI notification on the "Interest Subvention Scheme for Short Term Crop Loans during the year 2017-18" issued on Wednesday.

"To ensure hassle-free benefits to farmers under interest subvention scheme, the banks are advised to make Aadhaar linkage mandatory for availing short-term crop loans in 2017-18," the notification said.

The development comes after the central government approved the implementation of the interest subvention scheme for the year 2017-18 for short-term crop loans up to Rs 3 lakh with some stipulations.

"In order to provide short-term crop loans upto Rs 3 lakh to farmers at an interest rate of 7 per cent p.a. during the year 2017-18, it has been decided to offer interest subvention of 2 per cent per annum to lending institutions viz Public Sector Banks (PSBs), Private Sector Commercial Banks (in respect of loans given by their rural and semi-urban branches only) on use of their own resources," the notification read.

"This interest subvention of 2 per cent will be calculated on the crop loan amount from the date of its disbursement, drawal up to the date of actual repayment of the crop loan by the farmer or up to the due date of the loan fixed by the banks whichever is earlier, subject to a maximum period of one year."

"To provide relief to farmers affected by natural calamities, an interest subvention of 2 percent per annum will be made available to banks for the first year on the restructured loan amount. Such restructured loans will attract normal rate of interest from the second year onwards."

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