Minority card holders to get low interest loan: Lalpura

Story by  ATV | Posted by  Aasha Khosa • 1 Years ago
NCM chairperson Iqbal Singh Lapura with members
NCM chairperson Iqbal Singh Lapura with members

 

Daulat Rahman/Guwahati

The proposed Minority card to be issued to members of six religious minority groups – Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, and Parsis - in Assam would entitle the holders to avail loans facilities for education and starting businesses at concessional rates. Women would be entitled to the same at even lower interests than men.

Explaining this the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) chairperson Iqbal Singh Lalpura said, the minority members would be entitled to avail of loans up to Rs 15 lakh at concessional rates for studying in a foreign university.
 
The NCM has backed the Assam Government’s move to provide certificates to the members of minority communities by saying “it would be hugely beneficial for the Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Parsis living in the State.’
 
The NCM’s assertion has come at a time when the Opposition and some other organizations are dubbing the move as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s “divisive agenda”.
 
Lalpura said the commission has already issued an advisory to all states and union territories to provide certificates to minorities. He praised the Assam Government for taking initiative on this.
 
“The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs has an annual budget of Rs 6000 crore. The budget has been underutilized due to an inadequate number of genuine beneficiaries from the minority communities to avail benefits of various schemes. Issuing of cards to minorities will result in increasing of many students, youths and other individuals to avail benefits of various minority welfare schemes of the Government of India,” Lalpura said.

According to Lalpura, the youths from minority communities can take a loan from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 30 lakh to start their own business. In the case of a loan of Rs 20 lakh, the rate of interest is 6% for men and 4% for women. Similarly, for Rs 30 lakh loan, the interest would be 8% for men and 6% for women.
 
As per the 2011 Census, Hindus make up 61.47% of Assam’s population, Muslims 34.22%, Christians 3.74%, Sikhs 0.07%, Buddhists 0.18%, and Jains 0.08%.
 
“If there is nothing wrong in issuing certificates to scheduled tribe, scheduled caste, and other backward classes, the same should be applied in the case of minorities too. The move will also help identify genuine minorities who can avail of various government benefits,” the NCM chairman said.
 
Lalpura said the deputy commissioners or other officials in the level magistrate can issue minority certificates.
 
The National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 has defined a Minority as a smaller group representing less than half of the whole or predominant population.
 
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently decided to provide certificates to six minority communities in the State at the directive of the Central Government. He asserted that the move will help the minorities secure the benefits of various schemes including scholarships funded by the Centre for these communities.

Also Read: Assam to issue 'minority certificates' to Muslims, others

“There is a general perception that the Muslims can only be categorized as a minority. The same mindset prevails when it comes to avail the benefits of various schemes of the Central Government and State Government. But the Centre recently issued a directive to consider the Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Parsis residing in the State as minorities and issue minority certificates to them to avail benefits of various central government’s schemes, particularly scholarship,” Sarma said.
 
The detail of the process of issuing certificates to minorities is being worked out.