Income Tax Payee, Among Others, To Be Excluded From Loan Waiver In Assam

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had promised loan waiver to poor women in order to provide relief amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's loan waiver scheme, income tax payee, persons availing multiple loans, those having four-wheeler, and people with an annual income of more than Rs. 1 lakh will be excluded from the scheme. Ashok Singhal, Chairman of the micro finance waiver committee of the state government on Friday, June 11, defined these parameters under which people will be able to avail the loan waiver. The cabinet minister also clarified that the loan waiver will come with capping and will not be a blanket waiver scheme. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had promised loan waiver to poor women in order to provide relief amid the COVID-19 pandemic. For waiver, a loan taken up to March 31, 2020, will be considered," Mr Singhal told media persons in Guwahati.“Several people are facing miseries after taking out loans. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines were violated and action will be taken on violators as per the RBI guidelines. We have intervened only when the rules were broken. A democratically elected government cannot ignore such violations," Singhal said. During the election campaign in Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma promised a loan waiver to those who could not return their loans. The government after coming to power,  would return their loans, he had said. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma formed the micro-finance committee to address the issue.