Provide loans to Common Interest Groups: VMC chief

Vijayawada Municipal Corporation Commissioner HM Dhyanachandra met town-level bank managers and Urban Community Development (UCD) staff at the VMC main office on Tuesday. He said that the Central government, through the National Urban Livelihood Mission 2.0, has selected Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam for a pilot project to provide loan facilities to Common Interest Groups (CIGs) in six categories.
As part of this, Dhyanachadra conducted a joint meeting with UCD staff and town-level bank managers. He instructed UCD staff to form CIGs in Vijayawada, similar to self-help groups. He directed the formation of separate groups for transport, construction, domestic, waste, and care workers. The Commissioner also requested the bankers to cooperate in providing loans to these groups organised by UCD staff.
Dhyanachandra further instructed the 19 bank coordinators present at the meeting to expedite the sanctioning of loans under the National Urban Livelihood Mission and the Prime Minister’s Swanidhi Scheme. This applies to the 4,808 street vendors in the city, whose loans are currently pending, ensuring that eligible beneficiaries receive their first, second, and third tranche loans respectively, he said.
To facilitate this process, the Commissioner ordered field staff, including RPs, COs, social workers, CDOs, and bank coordinators, to coordinate and ensure that beneficiaries receive the loan facilities.  NTR District Lead District Manager (LDM) Priyanka, UCD Project Officer Venkateswarlu, 19 bank coordinators, UCD staff, and MEPMA staff attended the meeting.