Bhadrapur, March 20: The Rural Development Bank, (RDB) Chandragadhi branch office here has invested Rs 227.4 million in general loans since its establishment, recovered Rs 196.1 million during the period and is yet to recover Rs 31.3 million, it is learnt from the bank.

In the period since its establishment, the bank invested Rs 122.4 million in agriculture, Rs 102.8 million in the service sector and Rs 2.1 million in cottage industries.

By the end of the month of poush in the current fiscal year, the bank invested Rs 11.7 million in the agriculture sector, Rs 10.8 million in the service sector and Rs 112,000 in cottage industries development, recovered Rs 23.4 million during the period while Rs 31.4 million still remains to be collected in interest.

Likewise, the bank has also been providing group loans and other agricultural facilities for the benefit of its clients.

The bank is learnt to have made an investment of Rs 25.5 million in terms of the group loans, recovered Rs 25.2 million and was yet to recover Rs 34.3 million in interests.

The bank has 165 centres and 5,754 clients from 1240 loan groups. the bank is serving the local population of 25,000, it is learnt.

The bank has extended its programmes in 28 VDCs and distributed 500 saplings of improved fruit varieties to its women clients. Similarly, the bank has constructed fifty affordable toilets with the assistance of UNICEF and provided women and child health training to 5,279 women.

Mr. Shubha Rijal,  the chief of the Rural Development Bank, Chandragadhi branch, while admitting that it is a challenging job to recover interest from loans given without collateral, said however the recovery rate of the bank was almost cent percent, thanks to the hard work of the bank employees and the trust of the local women in the bank.

He said the bank was also providing scholarship grants of Rs 3,000 each to a daughter each of Mrs. Hem Kumari Niraula, a resident of local Budhabare and Mrs. Naramaya Thapa, a resident of local Baniyani.

The two women were declared the best women clients by the bank.