NCPCR notice to ICICI Bank official as Covid orphans struggle to repay with home loan

new delhi: The National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights has now issued a notice to an ICICI Bank official in Delhi for allegedly threatening to attach the home of four children, who lost both their parents to Covid-19 during last year's brutal second wave.

The bank had allegedly threatened to attach the home, which was bought after the children's father had taken a Rs 25 lakh loan.

While the parents had already repaid around Rs 7 lakh of the amount, the children were facing the possibility of losing their home given the bank's decision to ask for the attachment of

the home.

According to a report in The Hindu, the paternal uncle of the children said that they had requested the bank to let them keep the house and allow the children to repay the amount due once they start earning. Alternatively, the family had also tried to persuade the bank to waive

the loan.

The national child rights body had stepped in after the matter was reported and had also issued a notice earlier to the bank.

After the bank reportedly failed to respond to the notice, a summons has now been issued to a senior official on the bank, asking them to explain why they had not responded to the NCPCR's earlier notice for information on

the matter.

"The Commission requires you to physically appear before the Commission in this matter to furnish an action taken report on 20.04.2022, and to explain the reasons for not furnishing the requisite information sought by the Commission," the

summons said.

However, latest reports suggest that the Bank has started talking to the family for a possible resolution of the issue after the NCPCR intervened to help the children.