BJP State President DR Thapa urges RBI to ease loan access under central schemes in Sikkim

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State President DR Thapa met with officials from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) at the RBI Regional Office in Gangtok to highlight the issues faced by the people of Sikkim in availing loans under various Central Government self-employment schemes. The meeting took place on Wednesday and was attended by RBI Regional Director Shri Thotngam Jamang and Assistant General Manager Ms Sangita Chattopadhyay.

During the meeting, Thapa said that although the Central Government has introduced several schemes to support self-employment and economic development in rural areas, many beneficiaries in Sikkim are struggling to get loans approved by banks. He mentioned schemes such as UNNATI, PMEGP (Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme), Mudra loans, Vidhya Laxmi education loans, and Lakhpati Didi as key examples where people have either faced long delays or were denied loans despite meeting the requirements.

Thapa said that these schemes were launched by the Central Government with the aim of empowering rural communities, supporting women entrepreneurs, and promoting small-scale businesses. However, the poor implementation of these schemes at the ground level due to banking hurdles has slowed down the benefits that should have reached the people, especially in remote and village areas.

He urged the RBI officials to look into these matters seriously and ensure that the banking system becomes more supportive and approachable for the people. He emphasized the need for banks to offer hassle-free loans to genuine applicants, especially to dedicated individuals in villages who wish to improve their livelihoods through small businesses, education, and other productive activities.