Banks should clear the backlog in disbursal of education loans by August end, said Agriculture Minister Veerapandi S. Arumugam.

Presiding over the review meeting on bank loans and water supply schemes here on Tuesday, the Minister said that in the last four years, banks had disbursed education loans to 31,503 students to a tune of Rs. 346.86 crore.

In the 2009-10 fiscal, 9,603 students had received about Rs. 139.41 crore while in 2010-11, 800 students received Rs. 10.51 crore so far.

The Minister said that the banks should reach out to villages to create awareness among the rural public so that they could send their wards to higher education without any inhibition.

He asked the bankers to disburse education loans liberally and said that the targeted loan amount for this fiscal should be completed by August end.

He also asked the people’s representatives to take the message to all villages so that students from rural pockets would be benefitted more.

He further pointed out that private banks also should come forward to disburse education loans without any hesitation.

Both State and Central Governments were executing many welfare schemes for the rural poor and the bankers should take the lead role in taking them to the masses.

The Minister said that the beneficiaries should issue acknowledgements after receiving loans.

Banks also should not give room for any complaints while disbursing the education loans to students, he urged.

Senior bank officials of both nationalised and private banks took part in the meeting.

Later, the Minister reviewed the works on various water supply schemes and other projects that are being carried out in the district with the officials from Tamil Nadu Water and Drainage Board. He asked them to expedite the schemes without any further delay.

SOURCE: The Hindu