Punjab Scheduled Castes land Development and Finance Corporation has provided loans to 2,176 scheduled castes beneficiaries to the tune of Rs21.11 crore along subsidies of over Rs1 crore till 2012.
“Under various schemes, the Corporation has been providing loans with subsidies to the Scheduled Castes, physically challenged persons to make them self-employed on minimal interest rates from zero to eight per cent,” said the State Welfare Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike on Sunday.
He informed that the Corporation has provided Rs21.11 crore to eligible candidates till 2012 and loans to the tune of Rs12.92 crore have been provided to 943 beneficiaries from 2012 to December 31, 2014, with requisite subsidies.
Similarly, in association with the National SC land Development and Finance Corporation, loans to the tune of Rs 50.53 lakh to 43 beneficiaries have been provided. Reiterating the Punjab Government’s resolve to uplift the status of weaker sections by enabling them self-employed, Ranike said that Punjab, in association with National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation, given loans to 89 beneficiaries to the tune of Rs80.20 lakh, loans to the tune of Rs2 crore have been provided to 101 beneficiaries in association with National Handicapped.
He said that loans, to the tune of Rs48.7 crore, have been disbursed to the accounts of 1000 beneficiaries through various banks. The Minister said that the Corporation has been providing loans under various schemes including for opening of grocery shops, dairy farms, piggery farms, cloth shops, scrap shops, shoe making and handlooms etc.
He also gave a call to the desirous candidates from the SC community to avail full advantage of welfare schemes of welfare department as well as SC Corporation.