Dalit Sena criticises FM's announcement on bank loans

Chennai, Jan 5: The Dalit Sena in Tamil Nadu today criticised Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram's announcement that all banks in the state were instructed to provide loans to the poor, particularly to dalits for education, agriculture and setting up smallscale industries.

Addressing a press conference here, Dalit Sena President A M Palanimuthu said on the contrary the banks were not extending loans to the poor and downtrodden.

He appealed to Mr Chidambaram to hearafter avoid making such announcement and instead ensure that all kinds of bank loans were extended to the needy.

He also requested the Centre and the state governments to amend the Act suitably for punishing erring officials, who failed to properly enforce reservation and withdrawal of all concessions to private firms which did not implement reservation policies.

Mr Palanimuthu wanted the Tamil Nadu Government to launch a special drive to fill up the existing backlog vacancies in the government departments meant for dalits. The state government should also bring out a white paper on the number of cases booked on the prevention of atrocities against SC and ST, how many cases resulted in conviction and how many were dismissed besides the total quantum of compensation given to the affected dalits since 1995.

He said Dalit Sena founder and Union Minister for Steel,Chemicals and Fertilizers Ramvilas Paswan would visit Tamil Nadu tomorrow to participate in the prayer meeting at Vellore to pay homage to Dr Jayakaran Joseph, former state president of Lok Janasakthi, who died at Vellore recently.

UNI