MAPUSA
Stating that the government was eager to support every corporation in the State, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday assured the House to consider a one-time settlement scheme for limited individuals who had borrowed from the Goa State Scheduled Caste and Other Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation Ltd.
He also assured to look into the suggestion of allowing any person of enough capacity to stand as a guarantor for the loan instead of insisting on a government servant.
“There are some old loans where around 22 persons had borrowed loans years back. They have now turned senior citizens. We will consider a one time settlement (OTS) scheme only for these persons and not for the entire scheme,” Sawant said, adding that the board has taken a resolution to that effect and the government was considering the same.
The chief minister was replying to the calling attention motion moved by Ponda MLA Ravi Naik requesting for easing of various criteria to obtain loans from the SC and OBC finance and development corporation.
According to the government data, the amount of loan disbursed by the Goa State Scheduled Caste and Other Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation Ltd is outstanding to the tune of Rs 12.08 crore from 594 beneficiaries.
So far, 466 beneficiaries have defaulted in repaying loan instalments during Covid-19 period to the amount of Rs 5.67 crore.
“Sixty-seven beneficiaries have stopped repaying loan instalments which have been referred to DRO for recovery of an amount of Rs 2 crore,” said Milind Naik, Minister for Social Welfare.
He further informed that the SC and OBC finance and development corporation gets funds from the Centre at the rate of 3 percent and the State government issues loans to borrowers at the rate of up to 6 percent.
Ponda MLA, Ravi Naik said poor people who apply for the loans do not benefit from the scheme anyway.
“Sometimes, people cannot pay interest. The loanees should not be charged interest as they come from poor background,” Naik pleaded.
He also urged the government to bring an OTS scheme for the benefit of the people who cannot afford to repay the loans.
Mandrem MLA Dayanand Sopte said people from the OBC come from a poor background and many times do not get jobs.
He said the government should give them relief when they apply for such loans.
Saligao MLA Jayesh Salgaonkar informed the House that the financial support of the State government to the SC and OBC finance and development corporation has taken a plunge in the last three years.
“In 2017-18, the government gave a grant of Rs 3.48 crore to the corporation which went down to Rs 90 lakh in 2018-19 and for 2019-20, it has been nil,” Salgaonkar pointed out.
Marcaim MLA Sudin Dhavalikar said the State government could not charge six percent interest on the loan when it was getting the monies at three percent from the Centre.
He said banks have done away with prime lending rate and the government can at the most charge 1.5 percent as interest on the loan and not three percent.
“Instead of insisting on a government servant as a surety for the loan, the government can explore the idea of allowing a person of capacity to stand as a guarantor,” Dhavalikar said.
