KOCHI: It seems that the funds allocated for the development of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are going amiss owing to the complexities in the procedures.As this is the only alternative to a major section of people belonging to these communities, the nonviable conditions put forward by the authorities concerned are giving them nightmares.As per the provisions, a person belonging to the SC/ST community can avail a loan of Rs 1 lakh without any guarantee. But Nishant, who hails from Thiruvananthapuram, has a different version to offer."When we went to avail a loan of Rs 35,000 for selfemployment, we did not get it since we could not present two government officials as our sureties," he said. "Though there are several government schemes for the welfare of Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes, they have not helped the needy. It is not possible to avail even a loan of Rs 35,000 without mortgages. Owing to this, gross amounts allocated for their welfare are getting lapsed," said T V Babu, state president, Kerala Pulayar Maha Sabha (KPMS).As a major portion of the funds is allotted through financial institutions, the policies formulated by the government for the welfare of SC/STs are going awry.The purpose is completely being thwarted many a times as the funds are misused as they are diverted for other purposes."All these will only help throttle those who are already in deep trouble," he added.However, District Schedule Caste Development Officer Padmarajan said: "Though the Kerala State Development Corporation for Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes has a major role in providing the service, it could allocate only a minor portion as it needs the consent of the respective banks to allocate the fund that exceeds Rs 1 lakh."Though some people manage to get the loans, they also face problems as the provisions in the loans do not take into account the gestation period, especially in the case of business ventures.
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