Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB) has disbursed Taka 815 crore as loan in the country`s north-western region during the first six months of the current 2015-16 fiscal year, BSS reports.More than 98,249 borrowers received the loans for boosting crop production and rural economy besides creating employment. According to the officials concerned, Taka 399 crore for crops, Taka 10 crore for fisheries, Taka 36 crore for animal resource, Taka 1 crore for agricultural farms and machineries, Taka 4 crore for agro-based industries, Taka 58 crore for SMEs, Taka 124 crore for cash credit, Taka 11 crore for poverty reduction and Taka 84 crore for different others need-based sectors were disbursed during the same period. Side by side with the disbursement, the bank has also realised Taka 1002 crore including classified and other outstanding loans and mobilized deposit worth Taka 3,642 crore through 378 branches in all the 16 districts under Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions. RAKUB Managing Director Monzur Ahmed told that the bank has set a target of disbursing Taka 1,6000 crore as loan, recovery of Taka 1,900 crore including Taka 721 crore classified loan and deposit collection of Taka 4,425 crore during the current fiscal. He said the present government had earmarked the huge money for RAKUB for disbursing as crop and rural uplift loan only in the northwest Bangladesh during the current fiscal. To build a poverty- free Bangladesh, he said the bank had enhanced its lending activities in multipurpose potential fields for boosting agriculture production, intensifying food security and flourishing poultry and dairy sectors to reduce protein deficiency. "We have launched special credit programme for encouraging the people for setting up solar power, biogas and waste management plant for generating eco-friendly and alternative power to face the power supply deficit," he said, adding that credit is being extended to the sector on a priority basis. As the largest development partner in agriculture as well as agro- based industry sector of the northwest region, currently the bank has adopted multipurpose development programmes, which are being implemented at the grassroots to make the credit programmes easier. Headquartered in Rajshahi, the specialized bank has been putting in its level best effort to establish a dynamic leadership along with accountability and transparency in all its activities to earn confidence of the clients."We are giving more emphasis to enhance the credit flow towards exploring the potential sectors of the region," he said adding that level best effort is on to ensure transparency and accountability in all the banking activities. More than 200 branches have, so far, been brought under computerization and all the 378 branches will be brought under the modern system by this yearend through which the bank will be enriched with various updated services like online banking, SMS banking and ATM booths, Ahmed expected.