The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : “Open accounts for NREGP beneficiaries in a week”

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Wednesday, Oct 01, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

“Open accounts for NREGP beneficiaries in a week”

Staff Reporter

The district administration exhorts bankers to complete the process

Study: Collector R. Sudalaikannan at the district-level bankers’ review meeting at Ariyalur on Tuesday.

ARIYALUR: Focussing on the Central government’s seriousness in implementing the National Rural Employment Guarantee Project (NREGP) to perfection, the district administration has exhorted bankers to complete the process of opening bank accounts for all the 1,10,700 villagers enrolled under the project in a week’s time.

At a review meeting of bankers on Tuesday, the District Collector R. Sudalaikannan said that banks in Ariyalur district with 52 per cent success in opening accounts under the scheme were way behind many other districts where banks were able to reach 90 per cent success.

He saw a paradox in such a situation in Tamil Nadu where the awareness level was high among local body officials and representatives, against the backdrop of States like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar attaining cent per cent success in starting accounts for NREGP beneficiaries.

At the meeting that had the participation of the Assistant General Manager of Reserve Bank of India N. Kasinathan; Lead Bank (State Bank of India) Officer K. Kothandan; branch managers of several banks, and the Project Officer of the District Rural Development Agency R. Venkatachalam, the Collector called upon bankers to ask for only the ration card or the NREGP identity card from the beneficiaries for opening the account.

“Comply with Centre’s policy decision”

It is mandatory for bank officials to comply with the policy decision of the Central government that all the beneficiaries should hold bank accounts under the scheme, he said, pointing out that 16,000 applications were yet to be processed by the banks in the district.

Applications from the remaining beneficiaries would also be collected by the officials and representatives of local bodies and submitted with the banks in a week’s time, he said, urging banks not to insist on the physical presence of the beneficiaries for fulfilling the formalities for opening bank accounts.

Disbursal of loans

He also emphasised on timely disbursal of agricultural loans, education loans, assistance under Thandco, and other loans, adding that several petitions presented by the public at the weekly grievance redressal session pertained to difficulties in opening bank accounts.

Such review meetings will be held at the level of Panchayat Unions.

The meeting will be held at Varadarajanpettai in Andimadam on October 16, at Suthamalli in T. Pazhur Union on October 23, at Senthurai on November 6, at Tirumanur on November 20, at Jayankondam on December 11 and at Ariyalur on December 19, he said.

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