Press Releases Archive

The Lok Satta Party today charged financial institutions with bias and the State Government with indifference in going to the assistance of SC and ST entrepreneurs.

Talking to the media, party spokesperson Katari Srinivasa Rao pointed out that banks and other financial institutions extended loans freely and without even collaterals to the socially well connected while they denied loans to SC and ST entrepreneurs without any collateral guarantee.

The State Government which had promised to arrange financial assistance of Rs.25,000 crore to 5000 SCs and STs in five years had enabled only 200 SCs and STs to access bank loans of less than Rs.100 crore.

Mr. Srinivasa Rao said that the Government squandered thousands of crores of rupees on populist schemes like supply of rice at Rs.2 a kg which merely perpetuated poverty. In contrast, grant of loans to SC, ST entrepreneurs would make them self-reliant.

If the Government has the will, it can facilitate bank financing by providing guarantee to SC, ST entrepreneurs.

Mr. Srinivasa Rao welcomed the State Government decision to appoint an Ombudsman in each district to go into irregularities in National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme implementation.

If only the State Government had empowered local governments, there would have been no need for Ministers, MPs and State legislators visiting villages in hot summer in the name of addressing people’s problems.

Commenting on ‘Praja Patham’ launched by the Government all over the State, the Lok Satta Party said in a statement that successive governments in the State had emasculated local governments, denied them the powers, responsibilities and resources they are entitled to under the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments and focused on centralizing powers at the State level.

‘Praja Patham’ is an eloquent testimony to concentration of power in the hands of the State Government at the cost of local governments,” said Mr. Katari Srinivasa Rao, G. Raja Reddy and Mr. V. Vijayender Reddy, party spokespersons in the statement.

The Lok Satta Party, however, called upon its cadres to take part in ‘Praja Patham’ since it still provided a forum for redressal of local problems. It wanted them to pin down people’s representatives for devolution of powers, responsibilities, resources and personnel on local bodies. They should draw the attention of officials and people’s representatives to the havoc belt shops are causing, the irregularities in implementation of Government schemes like NREGS, and grant of pensions, houses and ration cards.