DIC is making its own rules for Khadi loans: Unemployed youth

VoiceofSikkim; Sanjay Agarwal; Sep 26, 2010;

RANGPO, September 25: Three youth from Rangpo have filed RTI questionnaire to Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC), industries department and district collector (East) demanding why the District Industries Centre (DIC) is asking trade licenses and Sikkim Subject Certificates from applicants seeking loans.

In a RTI filed to KVIC, Suraj Sunar has mentioned that as per the Central norms, to qualify for Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) a beneficiary does not need trade license or domicile certificates. The beneficiary who is having a voter card with a ration card is also eligible for PMEGP and those applying for loans above Rs. 10 lakhs must be Class VII and above passed student, he said.

The KVIC is the nodal agency for PMEGP and the DIC is a member in the task force committee for implementation of the national scheme.

Claiming that the task force committee board has violated the PMEGP norms during its meeting on September 9, Sunar alleged that some candidates who applied for loan through KVIC got their applicants rejected for not having trade licenses while others got approval without having trade licenses.

Sunar wanted the KVIC to explain why there are different set of rules for PMEGP implementation in Sikkim and asked whether there are any rules which makes trade license mandatory for loan application. Why is the DIC asking for trade license for DIC registration for applying KVIC loan?, he has questioned.

It has been alleged that the DIC is making its own set of rules as against the national norms.

Another Rangpo youth, D Chhetri has filed an RTI with the industries department seeking criteria for registration of DIC for PMEGP. Why there is different rule in Sikkim for PMEGP? he has asked.

Prem Prakash Rai from Rangpo has filed an RTI with the District Collector (East) seeking to know whether the district task committee has framed any rules for PMEGP in Sikkim. He has also sought to know details of applicants who got loans but did not have Sikkim Subject Certificates or Certificates of Identification.