TEZPUR, Oct 28 - Though the Government of India has been trying to provide livelihood options to educated unemployed youth through various employment-generating schemes, including innovative programmes like �Stand Up India� through 1.25 lakh bank branch networks across the country, but mismanagement by a section of SBI officials has stymied the much-hyped project.
It may be mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address unveiled his game changer campaign titled �Start-Up India� (Stand-Up India) to promote entrepreneurship at the grassroot level for economic empowerment and job creation coinciding with the celebration of 125th birth anniversary of Dr Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, seeking to leverage the institutional credit structure to reach out to the underserved sector such as Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and women entrepreneurs so as to enable them to participate in the economic growth of the nation.
The scheme was launched with a target of benefiting atleast 2.5 lakh borrowers through 1.25 lakh bank branch networks located across the country and the objective of facilitating bank loans between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 100 lakh to at least one Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) borrower and at least one woman borrower per bank branch of all scheduled commercial banks for setting up a green-field enterprise.
It�s portal also provides a digital platform based on 3 pillars to support enterprises promotion among entrepreneurs from SC, ST and women category through handholding support and providing information on financing credit guarantee.
Incidentally, Rajashree Goswami, who is an educated girl from Tezpur�s Nabapur area approached the Tezpur evening branch of SBI seeking a loan amount of Rs 23 lakh along with a detailed project report about a partnership business under the Stand-Up India Project.
But Rajashree Goswami, who is also a research scholar in Assam University, along with two other business partners with bright academic credentials, namely Anup Sinha and Amlan Hazarika were totally let down following mismanagement by the respective loan officer of the bank.
Expressing their annoyance over the lady officer�s attitude, the educated trio alleged that despite fulfilling every criteria for getting the loan, the bank�s loan officer intentionally delayed the process.
�Moreover, due to her leaving the station without any prior information, besides some other pending works, our loan process was left incomplete, thereby resulting in our franchisee unit to start late. However, considering the priority of our work, the branch manager of the bank Uttara Bora took up the issue with earnestness.�
The trio mentioned that they had already started their franchise under the name: �VPD FOODS - the Chocolate Room�. It is a renowned chocolate caf� chain spread over 12 nations across the globe which will surely rake in a handsome turnover, thereby giving them a better livelihood.
They have in the meantime urged the bank authority as well as the Government of India to look into such issues where the lackadaisical attitude of some irresponsible bank officials contribute to dash the hopes of innumerable youth of this otherwise backward region.
