Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday announced a six-month moratorium on loan repayments for flood-affected borrowers in the four worst-hit Upper Assam districts, besides financial relief for small traders and assistance to rebuild namghars damaged in the recent deluge.The announcement followed a special meeting of the State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC), chaired by Sarma and attended by representatives of the Reserve Bank of India, NABARD, State Bank of India and other commercial banks.“The meeting decided on a relief scheme for the customers who availed loans in Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat districts. The SLBC decided that a moratorium of six months will be offered to all flood-affected people in these districts,” Sarma said during a Facebook live session.Banks will assess individual cases before granting the moratorium, which will be available only to borrowers affected by the floods. Sarma appealed to those unaffected by the disaster to continue paying their EMIs on schedule.The chief minister said banks would also be allowed to extend the repayment tenures of loans held by flood-affected borrowers by one to seven years, depending on the nature of the loan.Announcing relief for small businesses, Sarma said banks would provide an additional Rs 10,000 in the loan accounts of flood-hit retail shop owners without requiring fresh collateral or a mortgage.“There are many small retail shop owners who have taken loans. Now, their shops are totally damaged, and nothing is left. The banks will give an additional amount of Rs 10,000 in their loan accounts without any new mortgage or collateral,” he said.Sarma also announced a one-time grant of Rs 1.5 lakh for each namghar damaged by the floods in Sivasagar and Charaideo districts to support the reconstruction of the Vaishnavite places of worship.
