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Title: Problems being faced by the farmers due to closure of 4750 branches of Regional Rural Banks in last 15 years in the country.
SHRI KHAGEN DAS (TRIPURA-WEST): Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like to draw the attention of the Government to a matter of urgent public importance. The Reserve Bank of Indiaâs Handbook of Statistics on the Indian Economy 2006-07 shows that there were 30,639 rural branches of Scheduled Commercial banks in 2007. That means that 4,750 rural bank branches have closed down in fifteen years since 1993. That is an average of 26 branches shut down each month or one every working day. When agrarian economy is in crisis, the poor farmers are under severe pressure, and with the reduction of rural branches they are forced to rely on moneylenders leading to increased financial distress and farmer suicides. In the circumstances, I strongly demand that immediate steps be taken to reverse the trend and increase the number and reach of the rural bank branches.