Malkangiri: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all sections of the society.
Rural life in Odisha has been affected as well, with villagers suffering losses in farming and other businesses, which have prevented them from repaying bank loans.
The tribal people of Mathili panchayat in Malkangiri district came up with a plan to make villagers loan-free.
Village committees of 10 model villages under Mathili panchayat set up a village-level bank, named ‘Abarttana Panthi Gruha’.
The Soil Conservation and Watershed Department provided Rs 1.5 crore to the bank, where some educated youths were employed. The bank provided villagers loans of Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 to make them self-dependent.
As 1,086 tribal people from 10 model villages benefited from the scheme.
They used the money to resume different types of farming, including fish farming. Some of them opened grocery shops, and some cycle shops.
As they started earning again, they repaid their loan to the village bank. Some villagers even started saving in the bank.
It came as a huge boost for the people of Ambaguda, Dhaudaguda, Ghaigudirusa and other villages. Pre-pandemic, they migrated to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in search of work. But since April 2020, they couldn’t travel because of the coronav pandemic and lockdown.
“Using the loan, we are doing small business like poultry farming, grocery shops, etc. Some have used the money in their regular farming activities. We can now fulfill our daily demands as we don’t have to go other states for work,” said Budu Pradhan, a beneficiary.
“I took Rs 20,000 from the bank and opened a poultry farm. I am getting a profit of about Rs 50 per chicken. I have already repaid the loan amount,” said another beneficiary Mangala Sisha.
