Extend loans to poor, bankers told

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Vijayawada: Several MLAs expressed ire over bankers not sanctioning loans to farmers and the poor. In the district-level review committee meeting of bankers here on Friday, both the Congress and the Telugu Desam MLAs expressed ire over bankers for refusing loans to the weaker sections.
Expressing surprise over the performance statements of the banks in extending loans to the agricultural sector, Mylavaram MLA Mr Devineni Umamaheswara Rao said that tenant farmers were deprived of input subsidy and crop loans. He said that the officials have failed to create awareness among mango farmers over weather-based insurance scheme.
Nandigama MLA Mr Tangirala Prabhakara Rao said that the bankers are not caring for the poor for extending loans. He said that as an MLA he failed to get the sanction of a petty loan to a person to purchase a cycle rickshaw. He expressed ire over the partisan attitude of the bankers.
Vijayawada central MLA Malladi Vishnu said that a separate meeting should be convened to discuss about the grievances in urban areas.
He said that the bankers are not extending even petty loans to street vendors. He said thousands of street vendors are fed up with the attitude of bankers.
District collector Mr Buddha Prakash M Jyothi said that the bankers should extend loans to farmers and weaker sections. He stressed the need for mandal-level meetings to address the grievances of people.
Reserve Bank of India assistant general manager Mr Ranga Rao said that financial literacy centres should be set up at the mandal level to create awareness among farmers and weaker sections over the services available with the banks.
DRCC convener and Indian Bank AGM Mr Chandrasekhar gave a detailed report of the performance of banks in priority lending sector.
Nababrd AGM Mr N. Madhumurthy, Andhra Bank DGM Mr G. Ravikumar and DRDA project director Ms M. Janaki were present.