The Hindu : Minister defends expenditure on publicity

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 21, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Minister defends expenditure on publicity

By Our Staff Reporter

ANANTAPUR, JAN. 20. The Minister for Employment Generation, Small Scale Industries and Velugu, B. Gopalakrishna Reddy, has justified the Government's spending on publicity for Government programmes. He said that dissemination of information is a must for empowerment of people.

Talking to newspersons here today, he brushed aside the Opposition criticism on the huge spending on the publicity of schemes. He sought to know how the people would know about development and welfare schemes taken up by their Government and question the administration if justice was denied to them. He said that people were aware of various schemes of the Government, thanks to the publicity given to the schemes. Achievements of the State Government in family planning, literacy, development of social and political leadership at the village level and empowerment of women among other things were the spin-off benefits of Government schemes and the publicity given to them.

Replying to a question, he also justified mobilisation of women SHGs for the meetings of the Chief Minister. Some training was also arranged for the women during such meetings and they could be explained about the Government schemes directly by the Chief Minister. He also refuted the Opposition allegations that the World Bank loans were spent for unproductive purposes. Mr. Gopalakrishna Reddy stated that the rate of interest on the loans to the women SHGs was reduced to 8 per cent from 15 from January1, 2004.

The women would actually get the loans at 4 per cent as the remaining 4 per cent was given as subsidy (incentive) by the Government. A GO was already issued in this regard. The measure would burden the exchequer by Rs. 50 crores a year, he said. The rate of interest on community investment fund was also reduced by half from 12 per cent. He also stated that Andhra Bank had come forward to give credit card facility to the women SHGs with production activity and weavers. They could draw up to Rs. 2 lakhs and repay the amount with 8 per cent interest rate. Here too the Government would give 4 per cent subsidy, the Minister said.

He stated that the Government had directed the officials to sanction revolving fund to all women SHGs completing one year and gas connections to all SHGs completing six months. An amount of Rs. 50 crores was already released for the purpose and another Rs. 50 crores would be released soon. Answering another question, the Minister admitted that some community coordinators of Velugu were found to be showing nepotism in the selection of village organisers. They were appointing illiterates as VOs and exploiting their lack of awareness. The officials were directed to monitor such irregularities and rectify them.

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