Gave loans to over 100 students: Delhi government

Dismissing claims that educational loans were extended to only three students totalling only Rs 3.15 lakh under its flagship scheme, the Delhi government on Sunday said it sanctioned loans of Rs 3.55 crore to more than 100 students.

"So far, around 400 applications for loan assistance have been received for the current fiscal. Of these, more than 100 applicants have already been sanctioned loans totalling Rs 3.55 crore," a government statement said.

Swaraj India on Saturday claimed that till December last year, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government extended loans to only three students under the Higher Education and Skill Guarantee Scheme while it spent Rs 30 lakh on advertisements.

Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav said out of total 97 students who got loans under this scheme, the Delhi government gave only three loans, limiting their exposure to Rs 3.55 lakh.

The remaining loans were financed through a central government scheme of similar nature, he added.

Denying charges as "factually incorrect" and "misleading", the Delhi government said the loans were provided under the "exclusive purview of the Delhi government's educational loan scheme" and was not part of any loan assistance scheme provided by the central government.

"While three students were sanctioned loans of more than Rs 7.5 lakh each, the remaining were sanctioned for lesser amounts," the government statement said.

The Delhi Higher Education and Skill Development Guarantee scheme provides for assistance of up to Rs 10 lakh without any collaterals as guarantee.

--IANS

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