Ghost loans deprive landless Odisha farmers to avail co-op finance profit

By Express News Service

JAGATSINGHPUR:  Landless  cultivators of Jagatsinghpur are a harrowed lot, with many failing to  avail cooperative mortgage underneath the Joint Liability Group (JLG) scheme to  improve productiveness. Reason, most are trapped in bogus loans sanctioned  of their names with out their data, thus making them ineligible to  avail mortgage underneath the scheme. 

Each JLG includes 5 members who can  avail mortgage via the scheme with out curiosity.

While the landless  farmers can avail mortgage as much as Rs 50,000, marginal farmers with their very own  lands are eligible to get mortgage proportional to the world of land they  personal. But farmers who by no means took mortgage surprisingly discovered their names in  the record of beneficiaries. 

Lata Sethi, a landless SC girl of  Tentoi, Naugaon determined to kind a bunch underneath the scheme to avail the  mortgage for share cropping.

On November 6, she submitted the related  paperwork for the aim together with Aadhaar card and Voter ID to the  secretary of Tiruna Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society (PACS). But Lata was shocked to know that her utility was rejected for defaulting on an present mortgage of Rs 20,000 which was sanctioned in her  title in 2014. The excellent quantity on the bogus mortgage is now Rs 37,000  with curiosity.  

Similar is the plight of Durga Charan Lenka of Ura  village who alleged {that a} mortgage of Rs 13,000 has been sanctioned in his  favour with out his data in 2013 with an impressive quantity of Rs 50,000 with  curiosity until date. 

Contacted, secretary of Tiruna PACS Ranjan  Behera mentioned members of round 80 JLGs have availed mortgage.

“We will look  into the matter and ensure that only rightful beneficiaries can avail  the scheme,” he added.

Manager of Cuttack Central Cooperative Bank, Naugaon Manoranjan Das mentioned on the idea of complaints from the helpless  beneficiaries, the officers involved had been directed by the Deputy  Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Cuttack to conduct an inquiry into  the matter however no progress has been made.

Similar allegations have  surfaced from Nuadihi PACS of Erasama block. Pramila Sahoo of Rupakhandi  had availed a mortgage of Rs 50,000 in 2018 however was sanctioned Rs 1 lakh  with none intimation.

Another girl Urmila Khuntia was sanctioned  Rs 47,000 towards Rs 9,000 that she had requested for. Both had been rejected for  defaulting on loans that they had not taken. 

Ex-President of Nuadihi PACS  Jayant Biswal mentioned the physique has 1,500 members and lakhs of rupees have  been misappropriated by refinancing the mortgage help in favour of 703  members and depriving the others.

“Despite complaints, no action has been taken against the erring officials of the society,” Biswal mentioned. 

Assistant  Registrar Cooperative Societies Subhadra Pattanayak mentioned the division has carried out an inquiry concerning the irregularities of cost of loans as per the course of the upper authorities and submitted the report  for additional motion.