Punjab Government: Rs 105.9 cr loan given to 10K Dalit youth

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 4

The Punjab Government has provided loans to the tune of Rs 105.9 crore to 10,069 youth of Schedule Castes and Backward Classes during the past four years besides waiving debt worth Rs 52 crore outstanding towards 15,890 SC/BC youth.

Minister for Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities Sadhu Singh Dharmsot said the Congress government had so far provided loans of Rs 82 crore to 8,662 eligible SC youngsters, while loans of Rs 23.9 crore were given to 1,407 youth applicants from Backward Classes.

The minister said the Punjab State Scheduled Castes Land Development and Finance Corporation, and Punjab State Backward Classes Land Development and Finance Corporation had waived Rs 50,000 loan each of SC/BC beneficiaries. He said 14,260 beneficiaries of SC communities got the benefit of Rs 45.41 crore, while 1,630 BC youths got a debt waiver of Rs 6.59 crore.

Dharmsot said the state government had given the authority to district managers of SC/BC corporations to sanction loans of up to Rs 1 lakh. Similarly, the district-level screening committee had been reconstituted under the chairmanship of the Social Justice, Empowerment and Minority Officer to provide loans to the beneficiaries at the earliest. — TNS