From 1995-96 till March 2000, the bank had helped 43,237 groups in the state and extended financial assistance of Rs 54.89 crore to different regional rural banks, Nabard chief general manager E Shanumugam said on Thursday.He said the bank had also given Rs 1,650 crore for rural infrastructure development programmes for various projects and had given financial assistance (refinance) to the tune of Rs 47 crore for joint forest management programme. During the current financial year, the bank would refinance Rs 63 crore for the joint forest management programme and also extend Rs 50 crore to soil and moisture conservation works, he said.

The bank had also decided to refinance the regional rural banks Rs 567 crore this year, against Rs 498 crore for investment credit. Shanumugam said the bank is concentrating on financing `cold storage' programmes in the rural areas to help farming community stock their produce and had given financial assistance of Rs 15 crore for nine cold storage schemes.

The bank would refinance agricultural allied activities the state by extending Rs 60 crore and would also help co-operative societies give crop loansto farming community by refinancing Rs 1,300 crore, Shanumugam said.