Mudra Yojana in Assam

Mudra Yojana in Assam 

While presenting the Union Budget for 2015-16, Union Finance Minister, Sri Arun Jaitley, announced the introduction of the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana scheme. The scheme purports to develop and refinance the micro business units. Under this scheme, micro and small business sectors will be able to avail loan to the tune of Rs 10 lakhs from all Scheduled Urban Co-operative Banks / State Co-operative Banks, Public/Private Scheduled Commercial Banks and Regional Rural Banks (RRB) along with Microfinance Institutions like NBFCs, Societies and Trusts. All such loans would be termed as Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) loans. No collateral security would be required for those availing MUDRA loans. The MUDRA Yojana was launched by our Hon’ble Prime Minster Sri Narendra Modi on 8^th April 2015 as per Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India’s letter No.27/01/2015-CP/RRB dated May 14, 2015.

Objective 

In India, the majority of its settlement consists of rural areas where people have no access to education, jobs or proper government facilities which the population in the metropolitans has access to. They are vulnerable to money lenders who offer them loans at exorbitant interest rates and that they are unable to repay. Ultimately, these deprived and uneducated people are forever in debt. Also, due to the absence of proper banking systems, banking facilities are not available to them. The Mudra loans have been launched in order to assist this small-scale business ventures and bring order into the microfinance system.

According to the Yojana, the banks designated as Mudra Banks would extend financial assistance to Microfinance institutions that would in turn support micro businesses, small businesses and also business ventures of individuals. The borrowers would be guided so that they could repay the loan and when required would be shown remedial measures to counter failing businesses. The lenders would in turn be guided to disburse effectively the loans and would also be trained to recover the loans from defaulters by legal means.

The PMMY Scheme ultimately aims at building up an effective lending, borrowing and monitoring system for the micro businesses that would include retail traders, service sector business units, and small borrowers.

Initially the Yojana would encompass micro businesses associated with food produce and textile product sectors, land transport, micro-credit schemes, community, social & personal services, Mahila uddyami schemes, missing middle credit schemes, equipment finance schemes, refinance schemes and loans for retail traders. Gradually the Yojana aims to extend its services to other sectors also. 

Mudra Loan Melas

To make the small scale business entrepreneurs aware of the Yojana, Mudra loan melas, lasting for a few days, have been organized across the country. In Assam, the government has taken initiatives to bring to the people and the youth of the region benefits of Mudra yojana. Loan melas were organized in various districts of the state.

In order to create awareness among the student community about the scheme, the district administration, in its District Consultative Committee meeting, discussed details of PMMY loans and the Mudra loan melas organized dated from 25^th September 2015 to 2^nd October 2015.

In Guwahati, the Assam Chamber of Commerce, affiliated to the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), organized an interactive session. Mr. B C Bharatiya, President, CAIT, who was also present on the occasion, explained the objectives and the benefits of the Mudra Yojana scheme.

On 29^th September 2015, a credit camp was organized at the Gandhi Bhavan in the district of Goalpara where a large group of entrepreneurs and young people along with district administration officials took part. SBI, Allahabad Bank, Union Bank, PNB, AGV Bank, UCO Bank, UBI, CBI, Canara Bank, BOI, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank are among few names that came forward to take part in the camp.

Each of the district branch heads has been asked to provide financial assistance to at least 25 entrepreneurs under the Shishu scheme, ten under the Kishor scheme and five under the Tarun scheme.

In Dimapur, Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani spoke on PMMY scheme and urged the youth of the region to start their own business under this scheme.  

Helplines in Assam

The Guwahati-based MFI operates in the northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland and RGVN (North East) Microfinance Lt, Guwahati, a Guwahati-based MFI has operations in the north-eastern states of Assam, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh and has been tentatively shortlisted as Microfinance institution.

Mudra Yojana is a subsidiary of SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India) which was founded in 1990, to help in the development of medium-scale, micro, and small business enterprises. Ninety-seven Nodal Officers, the “first contact persons” for availing MUDRA loans, have been identified at SIDBI Regional Offices / Branch Offices in the country.

Other Articles

• Disadvantages of Mudra Bank
• Mudra Loan Help Line Numbers