Farmers to get hassle free credit cards

The government has fixed criteria for issuing credit cards to farmers in an effort to help them access adequate and easy credit.

The norms that government fixed involve commercial banks, regional rural banks and cooperative banks that issue Kisan Credit Card (KCC) to farmers.

Minister of State for Finance Pawan Kumar Bansal told parliament today the norms would help farmers get timely credit in a hassle free and cost effective manner. He was replying to a question.

According to the norms the credit limit of a farmer is fixed on the basis of his operational land holding, cropping pattern that he follows, agriculture practices adopted in his area, scale of finance approved by District Level Technical Committee and the repaying capacity of the farmer.

The Banks have robust internal grievance redressal mechanism to address all customer complaints, including those relating to KCC, said a ministry press release.

Various instructions have been issued to banks on dealing with complaints. The banks are also instructed to attend to grievances related to KCC loans. Besides, National Bank for Agriculture Rural Development can also be approached with complaint regarding KCC, said the release.