The Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has demanded that the State and Central governments take steps making it mandatory for banks to give loans to Dalit entrepreneurs on the lines of priority sector lending.
The governments should relax conditions for awarding contracts and procurement works to ensure that Dalit entrepreneurs secure 20 per cent of the total works. In addition, DICCI should be given representation on the advisory committees of the industry related departments like CII and other trade bodies so that the problems of these sections could be highlighted effectively.
Resolutions to this effect were adopted at the business meeting of the DICCI held here on Sunday where representatives expressed concern over the problems they were facing with financial institutions, banks in particular, for securing loans. Though the Central government had announced provisions for Dalit entrepreneurs to obtain loans under credit guarantee scheme, banks were unwilling to cooperate.
DICCI State chapter president R.K. Narra at a press conference later suggested that the State-owned agencies like the State Finance Corporation could act as nodal agencies in enabling Dalit entrepreneurs to get hassle-free loans. The government, on its part, should ensure that the subsidies offered to these entrepreneurs were provided at source rather than in the form of reimbursement as it was resulting in blockade of capital.
“This is an administrative issue and doesn't cost anything to the government,” he said.
