183rd Quarterly District Consultative Committee and District-Level Review Meeting Held
SOLAN: Deputy Commissioner Manmohan Sharma has directed banks to ensure that eligible students receive timely education loans under the Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar Vidyarthi Rin Yojana, saying that financial constraints should not prevent students from pursuing higher education.
Chairing the 183rd quarterly meeting of the District Consultative Committee (DCC), District-Level Review Committee and UCO RSETI here, Sharma said banks play a crucial role in strengthening the financial condition of targeted sections by providing timely credit support.
He urged bank representatives to ensure effective awareness campaigns so that government-backed financial schemes reach people across the district. He also asked them to complete Aadhaar and mobile seeding of Jan Dhan accounts within the stipulated timeframe.
The Deputy Commissioner said the Himachal Pradesh Government had launched the Dr Y.S. Parmar Vidyarthi Rin Yojana to provide access to quality education to students belonging to economically weaker sections. Under the scheme, eligible students can avail loans at an interest rate of 1 per cent for diploma and degree courses in professional and technical fields, including engineering, medicine, management, paramedical sciences, pharmacy, nursing and law.
The scheme also covers technical courses offered by industrial and polytechnic institutions, besides PhD programmes at recognised educational institutions and universities. Education loans of up to Rs 20 lakh are available under the scheme.
Sharma asked banks to accord priority to eligible applicants so that students do not miss out on higher education due to financial difficulties.
He also directed officials of the Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Departments to encourage farmers to enrol in crop and livestock insurance schemes to ensure timely benefits. Agriculture officials were asked to explore the possibility of setting up small processing units at the village level to help strengthen farmers’ incomes.
The Deputy Commissioner further directed banks to prominently display the contact details of banking correspondents working in rural branches at the panchayat level so that villagers can get timely assistance in resolving banking-related issues.
Banks were also asked to dispose of pending loan cases at the earliest. Sharma said applications received for setting up micro, small and medium enterprises should be processed promptly, subject to eligibility, so that young entrepreneurs can begin their ventures without unnecessary delay.
He asked various departments to establish better coordination with banks for the speedy disposal of loan-related matters.
Chairing the UCO RSETI meeting, Sharma said efforts were needed to increase the shelf life of agricultural produce through processing. He said UCO Rural Self Employment Training Institute should explore the possibility of introducing training programmes related to agricultural enterprises.
UCO RSETI, he said, should conduct skill-development programmes that can provide better employment and self-employment opportunities to young people. The institute was also asked to coordinate with various departments and organise training camps and Kisan Credit Card fairs at the panchayat level from time to time.
According to Tamanna Modgil, Manager of UCO Bank, the district’s lead bank, as of June 30, 2026, 2,63,557 beneficiaries in Solan district had been enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, while 98,869 beneficiaries were covered under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana. A total of 70,998 beneficiaries had joined the Atal Pension Yojana.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, loans of about Rs 1.44 crore were sanctioned to 425 beneficiaries under the Shishu category, Rs 41.84 crore to 2,866 beneficiaries under the Kishore category, Rs 74.80 crore to 1,359 beneficiaries under the Tarun category and Rs 6.46 crore to 72 beneficiaries under the Tarun Plus category.
Overall, loans worth Rs 124.49 crore had been sanctioned to 4,722 beneficiaries under the Mudra scheme by June 30, 2026.
Under the National Rural Livelihood Mission, loans worth Rs 24.26 crore had been provided to 1,210 self-help groups registered with various banks during the financial year 2026-27.
UCO RSETI Director Meenu Baria informed the meeting that during the previous quarter, seven different training camps were organised, providing free training to 201 eligible beneficiaries.
