Center plans new Jan Dhan-MUDRA saturation drive in Bengal, eyes wider credit access | Today’s news
The Center will launch a new saturation drive in West Bengal to expand coverage of core financial inclusion and social security schemes while stepping up efforts to improve access to credit for corporates, small and medium enterprises and rural borrowers, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Monday.
These schemes include Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana and PM SVANidhi, according to an official press release.
The announcement came during a meeting in New Delhi with Suvendu Adhikari during which the issue of credit availability across sectors in West Bengal and implementation of central government schemes were discussed, according to a finance ministry statement.
Read also | The government can protect bank deposits up to Rs 7.5 lakh
On Adhikari’s request, Sitharaman said that round table meetings involving public sector banks, industry bodies and MSME associations would be held in different regions of the state to improve credit availability. The initiative aims to promote industrial development, entrepreneurship and job creation in West Bengal.
Rural loans
The Finance Minister also said that the performance of West Bengal Gramin Bank will be reviewed with a focus on enhancing financial inclusion and expanding access to formal credit in rural areas.
It further secured support for processing eligible proposals from West Bengal under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) program to strengthen capital infrastructure in the state and urged the state government to expedite reforms identified under the reform component of the program.
The renewed pressure on central systems comes amid a wider review by the Union government into the status of implementation of key programs in West Bengal.
Read also | West Bengal will soon join the Digital Agriculture Mission
Mint had earlier reported on May 8 that the Union government had launched a comprehensive review of central schemes in West Bengal following the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) landslide victory in the state assembly elections, according to three people aware of the development.
Implementation plan
The fractious relationship between the state and the Center – led by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) – has meant that several central schemes have been mired in controversy.
Now that the BJP has won an absolute majority in the state assembly, the Center has directed ministries to identify schemes that remained stalled, under-implemented or dysfunctional under the outgoing TMC government.
Read also | PLI Scheme: India’s industrial policy needs a reality check
The exercise is expected to speed up the rollout of programs that have either not taken off or have been implemented in a limited way in the state, including Ayushman Bharat, earlier phases of Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI), Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin, PM Gati Shakti and Jal Jeevan Mission, among others.
One of the people cited above said the Center is also examining the status of infrastructure projects, including rural roads, drinking water supply, health facilities and logistics connectivity, “to prepare a priority implementation plan for the state”.
