alipurduar: Exceeding the target, the district administration of Alipurduar arranged to give out loans to the self-help groups. Till March 20, women of self-help groups have already received loans of around Rs 430 crore in the district. It has benefitted about 1 lakh 50 thousand women in the district.
The target of Alipurduar for the financial year 2022-2023 was Rs 350 crore. However, the information till March 20 revealed that women of self-help groups have already received loans of around Rs 430 crore through nationalised banks in the district. In 2021, self-help groups of Alipurduar had received bank loans of around Rs 380 crore.
In one such loan fair organised at the conference hall of the BDO office in Falakata on March 18, a loan of Rs 12 crore 81 lakh was given from Uttar Banga Kshetriya Gramin Bank. About 735 Self Help Groups benefited.
“Women self-help groups have received loans through nationalised banks in all blocks of the Alipurduar district. We are proceeding as per the guidelines of the state government. District administration is working as a team. Besides the Anandadhara project of the state government, the district administration of Alipurduar has launched the project Dooars Nidhi. Under the Dooars Nidhi project, the women receive loans throughout the year. As a result, the district has crossed the 100 per cent target and reached 130 per cent,”stated Surendra Kumar Meena, District Magistrate of Alipurduar.
The DM added that if things are given free not much work is done. However, the case is just the opposite in case of loans where the beneficiaries have an urge to work. Loan defaulters are rare in the Alipurduar district.
Surendra Kumar Meena also lauded the role of the banks. 66 branches of the bank have provided loans throughout the year in 6 blocks of the district.
It should be noted that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has repeatedly spoken about women empowerment, specially by promoting SHGs. Alipurduar has emerged as one of the best districts in North Bengal last year in terms of providing loans to women self-help groups.
Most of the women who got loans last year were tribals, minorities and scheduled castes. Various types of works have already been started with the loan by the SHGs.