A wedding, or a naming ceremony would also get a sanction. This money went to 350 groups, mainly comprised of women, encouraging them to save money and undertake income-generating activities which would improve their incomes and living standards substantially. So far, the recovery rate for loans has been an unprecedented 100 percent, and aggregate savings by the end of April 1995 already stood at 1.97 million rupees. And when it does come in, the funds will only take our projects deeper into the rural pockets of our country, more effectively. Success stories about SNG projects like that of Allappzha have attracted the attention of not just the World Bank, but of funding agencies from across the globe such as the Swiss Development Corporation and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
Some collaborative programs are already in operation.
Most districts of Maharashtra and neighboring Karnataka in peninsular India have been covered by these schemes. Irrigation is another major goal of the Rural Infrastructure Development Project, and 20 million hectares of farmland should receive water this year courtesy of collaborative two-year projects with various state governments. This stand ensures there is no interference, and therefore no change, in their own agenda for rural credit development. There is an admission of imbalance, and also a new focus on rural infrastructure. This is based on the premise that if villages have good roads, good communications technology and modern transport facilities, the great economic divide between the urban and rural sectors will be bridged and the flood of migrants to the cities will slow to a trickle.