It's clone of Central govt's loan scheme: TDP

Mangalagiri: TDP national spokesman Kommareddy Pattabhi on Wednesday slammed the YSRCP government for making 'false claims' on the interest-free loans to the small traders like vendors and street hawkers without showing any commitment to the true welfare of the poorer sections.

Pattabhi described the newly-launched 'JaganannaThodu' scheme as just a 'Jagananna Kabja' programme. This was aimed at taking credit for the Prime Minister Swanidhi loans being given to small traders all over the country. In fact, these small loans of Rs 10,000 were being given already in a big way in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana while Andhra Pradesh lagged far behind all these months.

Addressing a press conference here, the TDP leader recalled that way back in May itself, the Union Finance Minister announced the small loans scheme but now the Jagan regime was trying to make it look like its own programme.

On the 'PM Swanidhi' website, it was clarified that nearly 15 lakh loans were sanctioned as against 28 lakh applicants for small loans. The AP government should explain why it could not avail this Central scheme to extend this benefit to the small traders in the State till now.

Pattabhi deplored that all of a sudden the Jagan regime was giving paper advertisements and spent crores of rupees of public funds for getting publicity to the Chief Minister. For the last six months, AP has been sleeping on the loans programme launched under the Atma Nirbhara Bharath.

The Central government had announced already that Rs 5,000 crore liquidity was offered to the banks for implementing this scheme all over the country.

The TDP leader strongly objected to the manner in which the AP Government was giving a new twist to the interest-free loans scheme in the State. Initially, the Government was asking for advanced payment of 7 per cent interest on these small loans. The same interest would be deposited back into the bank accounts at a later date. The poor traders cannot depend on this government considering its shock to the farmers in the Sunna Vaddi scheme.

Pattabhi said that the YSRCP regime lacked credibility and Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy was giving assurances everywhere for loans but the banks were turning a deaf ear. With its chaotic policies, the YSRCP had pushed the State into Rs 1.3 lakh crore debts in just one and half years, he lamented.