'Central Government schemes not for the poor', says Sushma Swaraj

New Delhi, Jan 29 (ANI): Senior leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sushma Swaraj, said availing loan in India is not easy for the poor people.

While addressing a function organised by the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, an economic wing of Hindu Radical Outfit, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, in New Delhi on Sunday. Swaraj said even the Central Government's scheme is unable to provide loan to the poor.

"Taking loan is not easy in this country, people loose patience in making rounds of the government office, sometimes they are asked for a guarantor, or to keep something mortgaged or they are asked to give commission. Many such problems and obstructions come midway that after making rounds of the government office, the person finds sitting at home a better option," said Swaraj.

Swaraj further said it is easier for rich people to avail loan for setting up their business, rather than for the poor.

"In this country, it is easy to avail loan of five lakh and five crore, but it is not easy to avail loan of 5000 rupees. Because nobody is ready to give guarantee for a poor man; neither he has anything for keeping mortgaged, nor does anybody support him," said Swaraj.

Swaraj said according to the revised poverty line, most of the population cannot avail a loan.

"This is a government, which says that if you spend 32 rupees per day in urban areas and 26 rupees per day in rural areas, then you are living above poverty line. Those 32 rupees include food, house, clothing, education and medicine. So they cannot avail loan, because loan is meant for people living below poverty line. But in this scheme provided by us, there is no such restriction of BPL (Below Poverty Line) and APL (Above Poverty Line), caste or community, lower or upper class or religion," added Swaraj.

In an affidavit to India's apex court, the Planning Commission had said that Rupees 25 per day was sufficient for a person living in a rural area for their expenditure on food, education and health.

The panel told the court that after adjusting for inflation, the rural poverty line was pegged at Rupees 25 per day, which ensures the adequacy of actual private expenditure.

The panel also stated that an individual spending of Rupees 32 per day in the cities fall in the Above Poverty Line (ABL) category. (ANI)