SHILLONG, June 6 � The Meghalaya Government has expressed dismay over the private banks� attitude for not attending a programme in which 49 projects were identified that has the potential to provide jobs to youths, albeit with loans from the banks.
KN Kumar, principal secretary, Community and Rural Development said that it is surprising that the private banks don�t come forward in the Government�s effort to provide employment opportunities to the youths.
He was addressing a meeting held at the Secretariat here on Thursday for the release of the �Study report on the business opportunities of Meghalaya� prepared for the State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD) by the Ahmedabad-based Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDI).
�However, when they require the Government�s help they stand in queue for their own interest,� Kumar lambasted. Barring HDFC bank, none of the private banks came for the meeting, although officials from most of the public sector banks were present.
Kumar said there are 7.5 lakh youths in the State in the 15 to 29 age group. Most of them are looking for jobs, so the SIRD had signed an MOU with EDI in 2013 to impart them skills.
Over the years several people from the State has gone to EDI and were trained so that they could be prepared to run their enterprises. In 2014-15, 407 participants benefitted from the training in EDI. This year, 51 training programmes have been proposed at EDI.
Kumar rued that the CD ratio in Meghalaya stood at a mere 23.4 pc, while in Gujarat it is 78.1 pc. He urged the banks, therefore, to do more in terms of sanctioning loans.