The Crossbill News Desk
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday (August 19) called on banks to fully write off loans held by victims and survivors of the recent landslides in Wayanad.
Speaking at a meeting of the State Level Bankers' Committee (SLBC), the CPI(M) leader emphasized that forgiving these loans would not place an excessive burden on the banks, PTI reported.
The Chief Minister argued that merely relaxing interest rates or extending repayment deadlines would not be sufficient for the disaster-stricken areas. He highlighted that many of the borrowers have died and their lands have been rendered unusable due to the disaster.
"The only thing we can do is write off the entire loans taken by people in these affected areas," Marxist leader said.
He conveyed the government's deep dissatisfaction with banks continuing to collect monthly instalments from landslide survivors and urged the SLBC to make a favourable decision on the matter.
Vijayan’s reaction followed intense protests against Kerala Gramin Bank, which has reportedly charged Rs 15,000 as a monthly instalment from one of the survivors in Wayanad.
According to PTI, several political parties on Monday, held protests outside the Kerala Gramin Bank branch in Kalpetta. The protests were prompted by the bank's continued collection of loan instalments from landslide survivors, despite the severe impact of the major landslides that hit the Mundakkai and Chooralamala regions of Wayanad on July 30.
Speaking at a meeting of the State Level Bankers' Committee (SLBC), the CPI(M) leader emphasized that forgiving these loans would not place an excessive burden on the banks, PTI reported.
The Chief Minister argued that merely relaxing interest rates or extending repayment deadlines would not be sufficient for the disaster-stricken areas. He highlighted that many of the borrowers have died and their lands have been rendered unusable due to the disaster.
"The only thing we can do is write off the entire loans taken by people in these affected areas," Marxist leader said.
He conveyed the government's deep dissatisfaction with banks continuing to collect monthly instalments from landslide survivors and urged the SLBC to make a favourable decision on the matter.
Vijayan’s reaction followed intense protests against Kerala Gramin Bank, which has reportedly charged Rs 15,000 as a monthly instalment from one of the survivors in Wayanad.
According to PTI, several political parties on Monday, held protests outside the Kerala Gramin Bank branch in Kalpetta. The protests were prompted by the bank's continued collection of loan instalments from landslide survivors, despite the severe impact of the major landslides that hit the Mundakkai and Chooralamala regions of Wayanad on July 30.
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