For the first time, the Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing and Development Corporation (TAHDCO) will try and create small-time industrialists from the Scheduled Caste (SC) community by granting them loans to set up retail petrol pump outlets in the farming hinterland.
The corporation, which has been financing for the community in rural areas, has decided to give funds to 20 persons to set up petrol and diesel retail outlets of 10 to 12 kilolitre size in farming areas where mechanisation of agriculture is more pronounced or where there is a need for transportation for marketing of farm products, a senior TAHDCO official told The Hindu .
The Dalits could apply on open competition whenever oil companies sought applications, provided they satisfied the eligibility criteria. The TAHDCO would help them get term loans up to Rs 7.5 lakh with a subsidy component of Rs 2.5 lakh, officials said.
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This year, the government had increased to Rs. 50,000 the one-time grant for law graduates trying to set up their own offices. They should be below 40 years of age.
The move is expected to benefit 500 persons. The government would also grant term loans to 150 young doctors from the community to set up their own clinics, the officials said.
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In all, the government had approved Rs. 302.89 crore under Special Component Assistance (SCA), Rs. 111.25 crore as subsidy and Rs. 191.64 crore as term loans, to benefit 71,467 persons of the community.
The government had instructed TAHDCO officials to ensure that the financial assistance reached the maximum number of beneficiaries at the time of identification and selection and disburse the subsidy at the same time when the banks lent loans to the beneficiaries.
The corporation had also been asked to ensure that beneficiaries under the integrated rural development scheme were not included in TAHDCO schemes as well, officials said.