OUR CORRESPONDENT
DIGBOI: Prasenjit Dutta, the then Deputy Manager at Punjab National Bank (PNB), Digboi’s Tingrai Branch in Tinsukia district, in all probabilities would face action on charges of unauthorized sanction and subsequent transactions into as many as 38 loan accounts held by several Self Help Groups (SHGs) under Tingrai Panchayat in Assam’s Tinsukia district.
Rajesh Paul, the Lead District Manager (LDM) Tinsukia, conducted an inquiry verifying the transactions here on Friday morning.
Following the detection of the unauthorized action on the part of the then Dy Manager, the investigating officer assured the affected Self Help Groups of solutions with regard to the payment of accumulated interest incurred in the loan accounts for the specific period.
Meanwhile, Sanjit Kumar, the Branch Manager who had detected the anomalies earlier on July 19 said that the loan amount was disbursed to around 38 SHGs’ saving accounts without the knowledge and consent of the beneficiaries.
The unclaimed loan amounts, credited to their loan accounts initially and transferred to savings accounts later, were however reverted after a significant period of time.
The burden of payment of the accumulated interest against the unauthorized loan amounting to several lakhs for that period however was made to be borne by the poor agrarian beneficiaries of the SHGs. “However, the circumstances which prompted the bank official to adopt the approach without proper sanction are yet to be unearthed,” said Kumar in a defending tone suspecting the act to be ‘under possible compulsion from the linked departments.’
Meanwhile, responding to the queries of the office bearers of Tai Ahom Yuba Parishad earlier at the bank on Friday morning, Kumar informed that based on the findings, the competent authority under Dibrugarh Circle jurisdiction would initiate action whatsoever to this effect.
“Later in the afternoon, Prasenjit Dutta, the then Dy Manager presently serving at the Tinsukia Highway branch, apprised us that the transaction was done with the knowledge of one more official serving in SRLM under Tinsukia district administration,” said the activists of the parishad. “It’s the duty of the Bank Mitra to disseminate the information among the SHGs,” added the Dy Manager.
Apprehension persists among the beneficiaries with regard to the role of Hapjan Block officials and SRLM staff for not disseminating vital information like forceful and unnoticed sanction of loan and its subsequent disbursement into SHG’s loan accounts, violating the standard procedures.
It may be recalled here that the Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission (ASRLM), a government initiative under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), aimed at alleviating rural poverty by organizing the poor, especially women, into Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and federations, and linking them to sustainable livelihood opportunities.
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