Only 37,000 gold loan waiver applications pending: Minister

CHENNAI: “Only 22 lakh persons have availed gold loan and among them only 12.5 lakh persons are eligible for loan waiver. Out of them, a gold loan waiver has been issued for 12.21 lakh beneficiaries for which the state government had allotted Rs 4,814 crore out of total Rs 5,013 crore. Only 37,000 loan waiver applications are pending and they too will be distributed soon,” said Periyasamy in the Assembly.

Former Minister for Cooperation Sellur K Raju said that there are 48 lakh gold loans obtained across the cooperative societies in the state and urged the state government to provide loan waiver for all the gold loans. Periyasamy intervened and said that there were only 22 lakh persons who availed gold loan in the cooperative societies.

Periyasamy also said that out of the total 4,451 cooperative societies cheating cases were found in 780 cooperative societies in which cheating cases were detected to the tune of Rs 484 crore. As many as 51 cases related to the cheating of gold loans are still pending and the subject will be discussed with Chief Minister MK Stalin to expedite the investigations. “No one involved in cheating will be spared.”

Former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said that during their rule they took action even in Nangavalli Cooperative society in his own Edappadi constituency.

Meanwhile, there was heated exchange between AIADMK MLAs, including Sellur Raju and DMK Ministers for which Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan and Chief Minister Stalin intervened.

Duraimurugan poked Sellur Raju by saying that he was his friend and he could have discussed with him by visiting Vaigai dam and placing thermocol. In reply, Sellur Raju asked the state to make sure that squirrels do not walk on the electric lines during the upcoming Chithirai festival in Madurai.