TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Bringing relief to people affected due to mining closure, Goa government is set to notify a detailed one time settlement (OTS) scheme on Monday that will offer subsidies to the tune of 35 per cent on loan amounts.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of Governor Mridula Sinha’s swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan on Sunday, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said the scheme would benefit truck, barge and mining machinery owners, who are reeling under loans due to the closure of mining activities from September 2012.
“After the scheme is notified, the banks will have to send their OTS proposals to the government. We will then approve the amount,” he said.
The scheme will have a ceiling of Rs 15 lakh for truck owners, Rs 25 lakh for mining machinery owners and Rs 35 lakh for barge owners. The upper limit for the subsidy will be three vehicles, machinery and/or barge.
Parrikar said the government has calculated Rs 330-340 crore as liability through this scheme. “But the actual amount will be less as everyone won’t opt for the scheme. The maximum amount that the State will have to pay is Rs 200 crore,” he added. An estimated 8,000 people will benefit from the scheme.
Parrikar had recently announced financial help on the floor of the House for people affected by mining closure. He had said that the truck owners would be helped up to Rs 15 lakh by paying 30 per cent of their loan, if they go for OTS. He also said that the State government would give 35 per cent of the loan amount of barge and machinery owners.
