The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Cut in plan size for Hyderabad district

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 11, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Cut in plan size for Hyderabad district

Staff Reporter

Total outlay less by Rs.185.71 crores than previous year

TO THE POINT: Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, MLA Nayani Narasimha Reddy and others at a meeting convened by district Collector R.V. Chandravadhan on Tuesday. — Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

HYDERABAD: The annual credit plan of the Hyderabad district for the year 2007-08 has reduced outlay as compared to the previous year. This year's plan has a total outlay of Rs. 358.91 crores, which is less by Rs.185.71 crores than the previous year. The cut in plan size is mainly due to the scrapping of the Rajiv Gruhakalpa scheme.

Minister for Information and Public Relations Mohd. Ali Shabbir, who launched the credit-plan here on Tuesday, said every year the plan size and the beneficiary target should increase.

ID liquor

The plan has a special package of Rs.4.26 crores covering 1,000 families involved in manufacture of ID liquor in Dhoolpet. It is proposed to extend soft loans to those manufacturing eco-friendly Ganesh idols using non-toxic vegetable dyes. Besides, financial assistance to survivors of trafficking is also envisaged in the plan.

Under the JNNURM, housing will be provided to 20,019 families for which 45 sites have been identified. "Within a week 10,000 houses will be grounded," said Hyderabad Collector R. V. Chandravadan.

Earlier, the role of banks in extending financial support to Government-sponsored schemes came for sharp criticism. Of the 35 banks invited for credit plan launch, representatives of only 13 turn up. R. P. Sinha, CGM, SBH, the lead bank, himself was conspicuous by absence.

Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, Musheerabad MLA N. Narasimha Reddy and the Collector took strong objection to his absence. "It is a Government function and CGM's absence is an insult to us," the public representatives said.

Banks chided

Mr. Shabbir wondered why banks were not coming forward to advance loans to the Government schemes. The violation of RBI guidelines on priority sector advancement was unfortunate. The Minister failed to understand why banks refused to sanction loans to the unemployed youth even after the release of margin money by the district administration.

He also faulted the banks for their reluctance to sanction loans to minorities. "Don't insist on too much surety. Be liberal," the Minister told the bankers. He asked them to ground the scheme sanctioned last year up to June 30 this year.

Mr. Owaisi criticised the banks for shirking their responsibilities in giving assistance to Muslims under the Prime Minister's 15-point programme. The Collector too was unsparing in his criticism of the banks. "It is not an act of charity that you are lending money to poor," he said.

He felt the credit clearance cell created in Hyderabad would only delay grounding of the scheme.

Responding to the criticism, M. Sudheer, General Manager (P and D), SBH admitted the bank's performance in Hyderabad district last year was not satisfactory.

He, however, maintained that they were following 40 per cent priority sector advancement.

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