Lucknow: A mega loan fair was organized at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan to commemorate nine years of Uttar Pradesh’s development journey, bringing together government officials, financial institutions, and aspiring entrepreneurs under one roof.
The event was graced by distinguished guests including Suresh Kumar Khanna, Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, and Rakesh Sachan, Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Khadi & Village Industries, Sericulture, and Textiles, Government of Uttar Pradesh.
During the programme, the dignitaries visited stalls set up by artisans, entrepreneurs, and banks under the aegis of the District Industries Promotion and Entrepreneurship Development Centre, Lucknow. The exhibition highlighted local craftsmanship and business initiatives, reflecting the state’s focus on self-reliance and enterprise growth.
Addressing the gathering, Minister Rakesh Sachan elaborated on various government schemes aimed at empowering youth and promoting entrepreneurship. These included the Chief Minister Youth Entrepreneur Development Campaign, Mukhyamantri Yuva Swarozgar Yojana, One District One Product (ODOP) Financial Assistance Scheme, ODOP Toolkit Scheme, and Vishwakarma Shram Samman Yojana. He urged young people to take advantage of these initiatives and become self-reliant.
Sachan also appealed to banks across all districts to ensure maximum participation and extend benefits to a larger number of youth through similar mega loan camps held statewide on March 25.
Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna emphasized the need for banks to improve their Credit-Deposit (C-D) ratio and play a proactive role in extending financial support to eligible beneficiaries, ensuring wider reach of government schemes.
A major highlight of the event was the distribution of financial assistance to beneficiaries. A total of 112 beneficiaries received sanction cheques amounting to ₹370 crore under various schemes, including CM Youth initiatives, MYSY, and ODOP financing. Additionally, trainees under the Vishwakarma Shram Samman Yojana were provided advanced toolkits and encouraged to transition from job seekers to job creators.
The programme was attended by several prominent officials, including MLC Avneesh Kumar Singh, Sandeep Kaur, Director General (Institutional Finance), Sameer, Special Secretary (Finance), Ajay Jain, Chief Development Officer, Lucknow, Shailendra Kumar Singh, General Manager and SLBC Convener (UP), Amarendra Kumar, General Manager, Bank of India, Lucknow, Abhijeet Gautam, Deputy Commissioner Industries, Lucknow, and Manosh Pathak, Lead District Manager, Bank of India, Lucknow.
The event underscored the Uttar Pradesh government’s continued focus on financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, and grassroots economic empowerment.
