Aug 05, 2011: Chief minister Nitish Kumar said on Thursday that if the bankers fully cooperate, then corruption could be checked to a great extent in the state and the dream of economic prosperity would be achieved. He was speaking at a function organized here to launch a scheme of home loans for state government employees, a joint initiative of the state government and Central Bank of India. The CM also handed over loan cheques to 10 employees. He said the loan facility extended by the Central Bank of India would benefit the government employees as they would get an opportunity to build their own houses. He congratulated the bank's executive director, R K Dubey, who was also present on the occasion.

The CM said apart from this scheme, the government's own loan scheme would also continue, under which a loan of up to Rs 7.5 lakh is given. The employees could now take a home loan of up to Rs 30 lakh from the bank and EMIs would be deducted from their salary every month. Nitish said during his first tenure he wanted to implement various welfare schemes through banks, like bicycle and school uniform schemes, but failed to get requisite cooperation from the banks. As a result, cash subsidy was extended to beneficiaries. "I want to remove middlemen from all schemes and transfer government assistance to the bank accounts of beneficiaries. Scholarships to students should also be deposited into their accounts and they should be given the facility to withdraw money through ATMs," the CM said.

He appealed to other banks also to come forward and cooperate in implementation of different schemes. The banks should also help the people of unorganized sectors, farmers, weavers and BPL people by extending them home loans, he added. Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi said house was a basic necessity like food and clothes but the dream of own home is not fulfilled so easily. He expressed hope that after the Central Bank's initiative, other banks would also come forward to extend home loans so that more people could benefit. Modi also urged the banks to come out with a scheme of home loans for legislators. "Banks should extend home loans at minimum interest to poor people for the construction of Indira Awas units," he said.

Central Bank's executive director R K Dubey threw light on the loan scheme and said a loan of Rs 39 crore was being extended in Bihar. Loans in education and agriculture sectors as also to the self-help groups had also been extended by the bank. A memorandum of understanding was also signed between the state government and Central Bank of India on this occasion.