1,200 Cyclone Gaja victims in Thanjavur to get loans to re-construct houses

As most of the beneficiaries could not finish constructing their houses with the Rs 1.7 lakh fund provided by the bank, they were in need of additional fund for completion of the houses.
People affected by Cyclone Gaja sit at a relief camp in Tiruchy. (Photo | MK Ashok Kumar, EPS)
People affected by Cyclone Gaja sit at a relief camp in Tiruchy. (Photo | MK Ashok Kumar, EPS)

THANJAVUR: As many as 1,200 applicants under the Prime Minister Housing Scheme (Rural) scheme have been recommended for bank loans under differential rate of interest scheme to complete the construction of their houses.

In the wake of Gaja cyclone, several houses, mostly in the taluks of Peravurani, Pattukkottai and Orathanadu were damaged. The State government has asked the Union government for increased allocation under the scheme for building houses for the affected. Under the scheme, beneficiaries have to build the houses and a sum of Rs 1.7 lakhs would be provided. The amount would be credited to the bank accounts of the beneficiary in four installments.

Under the scheme, building materials like cement, iron rods, doors would be supplied by the rural development department in advance and the amount for the same would be deducted from the amount to be credited to the beneficiary account.

As most of the beneficiaries could not finish constructing their houses with the Rs 1.7 lakh fund provided by the bank, they were in need of additional fund for completion of the houses. “Most of them are so poor they could not afford the additional funds of Rs 50,000-75,000 needed for completion of the houses’, officials told TNIE.

Taking into consideration the hardships faced by the beneficiaries, the Rural Development department made a tie-up with banks in the district to provide loans under the Differential Rate of Interest (DRI) Scheme. Under the scheme, the beneficiaries would be given a loan up to Rs 20,000 at a concessional rate of interest of 4 per cent per annum. “We have forwarded 1,200 applications of the beneficiaries to the banks for loans under DRI scheme”, A Pazhani, the Project Director of District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) told TNIE. He further added that assistance has also been sought from ONGC for constructing houses for the Gaja-affected in the district.

Moreover, if a member of the beneficiary family is attached with any Self Help Group (SHG), the groups were asked to extend a loan for constructing a house, he added.  Pazhani said that under the PMAY (rural) scheme, 70% of targets have been achieved.

To avoid a repeat of last year, this time, generators are being arranged in advance to avoid shortage of drinking water supply during a natural disaster situation. Similarly, 200 gunny bags of sand have been kept in each of the 586 panchayats to plug breaches. Chlorination of drinking water to is being ensured.

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