Skip to main content

Simpler Credit Rules on Way for Poor Households


Proposal includes lending of up to Rs 1 lakh per family without collateral at lower interest rates

The government is redrawing a micro-credit programme to help pull rural households out of poverty. The proposal is to lend up to Rs 1 lakh per family in the next threefive years, with the loans coming collateral-free and with subsidised interest rates.

“We have simplified the process for accessing loans ... We are getting into the details of livelihood each house can undertake so that the money can be lent accordingly,“ said rural development secretary Amarjeet Sinha.

Nearly 8.5 crore poor households identified in the Socio Economic and Caste Census will be linked to the plan by 2019.

The government wants to double bank linkages to lend Rs 60,000 crore per year for creation of livelihood for deprived rural households by 2019. The aim is to reduce their dependence on local money lenders and microfinance companies who charge usurious interest rates as against 11% by banks. Under the new proposal, the interest burden on the borrower is much lower due to subvention.

The rural development ministry has signed a memorandum of understanding with the agriculture and animal husbandry ministry to enable lending to such households for activities including tilling and setting up of poultry farms and goat sheds.

The rural development ministry will provide an interest rate subvention of 4% to make loans available at 7%. Households in 250 backward districts will get an additional interest subvention of 3% on prompt repayment, making their effective interest rate at 4%.

“We want to create diversified livelihood opportunities by providing loans which will help households utilise their resources and skills,“ Sinha added.

The government has, for instance, taken up expansion of dairy activities in several states by collaborating with the National Dairy Development Board to provide better market linkages and bring producer groups together with companies.

In order to expand its credit reach, the ministry is also studying the lending models of different states in rural areas, such as Tamil Nadu's Panchayat Level Federation and Telangana's Stree Nidhi Cooperative which lends to self-help groups.

Rural credit in India raised by selfhelp groups grew 40% in 2015-16 to Rs 30,000 crore. These groups have mobilised credit of about Rs 70,000 crore since they were formed in 2011, to fund creation of social capital in villages that could lift nonfarm jobs.

The Economic Times New-Delhi,19th April 2017

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Data storage norm splits digital payments industry

Data storage norm splits digital payments industry  India’s nascent digital payment industry could be thrown into disarray due to the demand by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) that all user data be stored within the country, fears an industry grouping, which has termed the decision as “heavy-handed”, even as others, including the country’s largest digital payment provider Paytm, have hailed the move.  In a bid to narrow the growing schism, the industry is planning to send a formal representation to the regulator highlighting its concerns, a top official told ET.  “We are trying to build a consensus on the issue," said the person adding that the representation to the central bank will be ready this week.  RBI on April 6, mandated all payment companies—global and local—to set up data storage facilities within India by October. The stringent six-month deadline has attracted the ire of several sections of the industry that fear it will lead to a disruption of wel...

Offer’s for all of you

Great Bumper Dhamaka Offer’s for all of you... It's Time to see your Business Online, WebeCreator Offer Website Designing with domain & Email @ nominal charges. For a year For More information visit us http://goo.gl/KlpppF call on 9890151261/9773197533  drop a mail to sales@webecreator.com

Sebi to finalise options in commodities today

The Commodity Derivatives Advisory Committee of the Securities and Exchange Board of India ( Sebi) will meet on Friday with senior officials of the latter, to give a final shape to the rules on options trading in commodity futures, beside revising the warehousing norms to ensure good delivery on settlement. The decision taken, after discussing with the advisory committee, will be placed before the regulator’s board, to finalise the regulations. According to knowledgeable sources, three commodities in each segment, agricultural and non- agricultural, have been proposed for introducing options. It appears commodities from the soya and guar segments are preferred in the former. From the non- agri segment, it is likely that gold, silver and crude oil will be finalised. All these These have better liquidity and both the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange and the Multi Commodity Exchange, respectively, will be able to introduce the options. In the equity segments, options ar...