News

TOI : PUNE: With 10,000 licensed moneylenders offering Rs 350-400 crore with interest rates ranging from 12 to 21 per cent and countless private moneylenders disbursing huge loans with interest rates up to 100 per cent, farmers still face the debt traps despite loan waiver and other sops announced by the central and state governments.

According to the state co-operative department figures there are 10,000 licensed moneylenders in the state. It was found that these moneylenders have offered about Rs 350-400 crore loans to farmers. The interest rates are 18 per cent for loan with mortgage and 21 per cent for loan without mortgage. The state government had reduced the rates to 12 and 15 per cent, respectively. “Moneylenders, however, continue to charge the earlier rates. No one dares to complain against ‘savkars’ (moneylenders) as they are all big wigs,” says Pandurang Kakade, a farmer from Haveli in Pune district.

There are 876 licensed moneylenders in Pune district and 1,785 in Pune division. But the state co-operative department officials admit that illegal moneylenders have tightened noose around small farmers. The department has initiated action against 1,150 of such savkars.

Those who illegally lend money in villages are none other than local politicians and big farmers. “They charge exorbitant rates and we keep on repaying interest for year after year,” says Dagdu Salunkhe from Karad. “Once you mortgage farmland, be sure that savkar will gobble it. But we are helpless as no bank gives us loans.”

Chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh recently said in the state assembly that the government was contemplating a law forbidding private moneylenders from acquiring land mortgaged by farmers and, if already taken over, requiring them to return such land to the original owners.

“Money and muscle power make savkars brutal. The government should first crack down on politicians who are involved in moneylending,” demands…More

TOI : PUNE: Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand visited the Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL) here on Wednesday.

The princess’ visit was part of a move to familiarise with the unique education and learning methodologies adopted by the SCDL to propagate the philosophy of ‘learn while you earn’.

Sirindhorn is an acclaimed academician with a doctoral degree in educational development. She is a director of the department of history at the Chulalongkorn University.

A high-level delegation comprising Khun Sirikittiya Mai Jensen, a niece of Sirindhorn; Khunying Sumonta Promboon, assistant to the office of the Thai king’s principal private secretary; Latha Reddy, Indian Ambassador to Thailand and Chirasak Thanesnant, the Thai Ambassador to India, accompanied the princess.

Sirindhorn showed great interest in the functioning of the student care services, the communication centre where the students forward their queries and the reply is obtained within one business day, and the call centre where the students’ calls are answered by executives for immediate resolution of issues concerning them.

Earlier, Sirindhorn was received at the SCDL by Symbiosis president and founder director S.B. Mujumdar and SCDL director Swati Mujumdar. Symbiosis joint director Vidya Yeravdekar, director of Babasaheb Ambedkar Museum Sanjeevani Mujumdar and director of Symbiosis Centre for Health Care Rajiv Yeravdekar were present. Print Save EMail Write to Editor Get personalised news s…More

TOI : PUNE: The Muslim community in the city will celebrate Id-e-Milad-Un-Nabi, the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad, on Friday. “Our Prophet advocated principles of peace, unity and brotherhood. It is a day for all of us to re-instate his teachings,” said Maulana Mohammad Iqbal Ashrafi of the Baghban Masjid.

Celebrated as Id-e-Milad - Milad-Un-Nabi or Maulid (Mawlid) is the day Prophet Mohammad was born in the city of Mecca in Arabia. It was the 12th day of Rabi-ul-Awwal and a Monday or the 20th day of April, 571 AD. This day is the third and the biggest of all Eids.

The day is marked by illumination of mosques and distribution of sweets, when followers rise early, wear new clothes and share their happiness, especially with the needy. “Every Muslim is expected to offer namaz and read the Quran on this day,” Maulana Ashrafi said.

A special procession, or the ‘jaloos’, will start from the Mannushah Masjid in Nana Peth at 2 pm on Friday, it will travel through the city and conclude at the Hamzekhan chowk in Ganesh Peth at 7.30 pm.

As a message to all Muslims on this auspicious day, Maulana Ashrafi said, “I would advice every Muslim to live in peace, respect one-and-all and last but not the least, don’t hurt sentiments of others.” Print Save EMail Write to Editor Get personalised news s…More

TOI : PUNE: With 10,000 licensed moneylenders offering Rs 350-400 crore with interest rates ranging from 12 to 21 per cent and countless private moneylenders disbursing huge loans with interest rates up to 100 per cent, farmers still face the debt traps despite loan waiver and other sops announced by the central and state governments.

According to the state co-operative department figures there are 10,000 licensed moneylenders in the state. It was found that these moneylenders have offered about Rs 350-400 crore loans to farmers. The interest rates are 18 per cent for loan with mortgage and 21 per cent for loan without mortgage. The state government had reduced the rates to 12 and 15 per cent, respectively. “Moneylenders, however, continue to charge the earlier rates. No one dares to complain against ‘savkars’ (moneylenders) as they are all big wigs,” says Pandurang Kakade, a farmer from Haveli in Pune district.

There are 876 licensed moneylenders in Pune district and 1,785 in Pune division. But the state co-operative department officials admit that illegal moneylenders have tightened noose around small farmers. The department has initiated action against 1,150 of such savkars.

Those who illegally lend money in villages are none other than local politicians and big farmers. “They charge exorbitant rates and we keep on repaying interest for year after year,” says Dagdu Salunkhe from Karad. “Once you mortgage farmland, be sure that savkar will gobble it. But we are helpless as no bank gives us loans.”

Chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh recently said in the state assembly that the government was contemplating a law forbidding private moneylenders from acquiring land mortgaged by farmers and, if already taken over, requiring them to return such land to the original owners.

“Money and muscle power make savkars brutal. The government should first crack down on politicians who are involved in moneylending,” demands…More

TOI : AURANGABAD: About 3.5 lakh people annually visit the Ajanta caves, but the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation’s (MTDC) has failed to make them aware of its tourist facilities near the caves. Moreover, some of the facilities are inaccessible too.

“I was curious to know how the caves were re-discovered,” said Sunghoon Kim, a student from South Korea. “I came to know about the View Point - situated on a hill, facing the monument - at the caves only. I was told that the View Point was never included in the tour package.”

“The View Point was not in the tour plans for the last 10 years,” said Jai Prakash, manager of the ITDC-run Ashok Travels and Tours.

“We are planning to insist that the private transporters include View Point in their package. We have spent around Rs 2 crore on the view point facility,” said MTDC official Y.D. Khillare. Many such facilities are ready for quite some time but we want them to be run by the private parties, Khillare added.

Admitting that there are no basic amenities like water, Khilare said the forest department was not allowing them to lift water to the View Point. The View Point facility was inaugurated on November 25, 1995 by tourism minister Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil.

“Ajanta-Ellora Development Project needs special attention. But nothing of the sort is being done. Even the MTDC office here is being run without a regular head for the last two years. The government seems uninterested,” said industrialist Mukund Bhogle.

In Ajanta, govt guest rooms gather dust Print Save EMail Write to Editor Get personalised news s…More

TOI : PUNE: Pune Municipal Corporation’s general body (GB) on Wednesday passed a resolution to provide housing to project affected people (PAP’s) on ownership basis rather than on rent.

The resolution was passed in a bid to avoid misuse of the tenements leased out by the PMC to the project affected people. A recent study by the PMC that most of the tenements leased to PAP are either used for commercial purposes or are being sub-leased.

Currently citizens affected by the road widening work or slum development projects are provided tenements on an 11 month lease at Rs 450 per month. However, the rent is often not recovered nor are the tenements maintained by the citizens.

According to the resolution, now the ownership of the tenements will be given to the citizens and 10 per cent of the construction cost be charged from them. A condition has been laid down that the owners will not be able to sell the flats for the next 15 years. However, BJP corporator Ujwal Keskar said that the PAP should be allowed to sell the tenements even after 15 years.

Suraj Mandhre, deputy commissioner (land and estates) told the GB that under Economic Weaker Section (EWS) construction clause the PMC should recover 15 per cent cost of tenements of the total construction. “As of now the PMC has 1,250 tenements under EWS. However, the rent is not paid regularly and the PMC had to look after the maintenance. Once the ownership is given to affected people, they will maintain the apartments,” said Mandhre.

In order to implement the proposal, the land and estates department will prepare a list of people who have been affected due to road widening and civic projects, and a list of people affected by slum development will be prepared by slum development department of the PMC.
…More