Trichy: Efforts are being made to give preference to sanction crop loan to 30% of the farmers who are applying for it for the first time, said the state minister for cooperation, Sellur K Raju. The minister was speaking in Trichy after inaugurating a 63rd branch of the cooperative bank at Thendral Nagar in Trichy."Out of Rs 8,000 crore crop loans announced by the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Rs 500 crore has been disbursed to the farmers across the state. The government has decided to give preference to the farmers applying for loan for the first time," the minister said.The minister also said that stringent criminal action would be taken against those who indulge in fraudulent activities in cooperative societies.Vigilance committee has been established to have a close eye on those who indulge in corruption activities and to curtail such activities in cooperative department, he said. As everything has been digitalised, no violations could go unnoticed, he assured."Even then if anyone is found guilty of fraud in cooperative societies, criminal action will be taken against the errant irrespective of any political influence. Moreover, a number of modifications have been executed in the department to avert malpractices as much as possible," he added.A total of 4,462 Primary Agriculture Credit Cooperative Societies have been functioning in rural areas from across the state. After the AIADMK assumed power in 2011, a total of 104 more new cooperative societies have been opened in the state and a total Rs 27,750 crore deposit has been mobilised from the public, which has facilitated to disburse crop loan to needy farmers, he further said.

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