Our schemes show NDA Government is "pro-poor": Minister

Claiming that 71 lakh people have benefited under the NDA Government's social security schemes and another six lakh under the Mudra Bank programme, Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya today said the achievement showed the BJP-led ruling coalition at the Centre is "pro-poor".
"In Telangana, under the Mudra Bank, last year they sanctioned Rs 4,557 crore and approximately six lakh poor people benefited. This year they are going to give more than Rs 6,000 crore (as loans to small entrepreneurs) and we are expecting eight lakh people to benefit," he said.
"Nearly 71 lakh people are benefiting under social security schemes... This is the greatest achievement. People are asking 'what Narendra Modiji did?' Just in Telangana, 71 lakh people are getting social security benefits. How many are benefiting in the country! This shows that this Government is a pro-poor Government," he told reporters here.

The Minister of Labour and Employment was speaking after holding a meeting with state-level bankers.
Against an agriculture loan disbursement target of Rs 27,800 crore last year, Rs 22,376 crore was distributed, said Dattatreya.
The banks are ready to disburse Rs 40,350 crore in the current fiscal, he said.

The Union Minister urged the Telangana Government to release funds for the third instalment of farm loan waiver programme.
The Lok Sabha MP from Secunderabad said he will post the check list for availing Mudra Bank loans on his social networking site page for the benefit of people in his constituency.

A 'loan mela' would be organised in the Khairatabad Assembly segment in the city for disbursing Mudra Bank loans, he added.
On the ongoing row between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh over irrigation projects, Dattatreya said he would speak to Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti if the two States are ready to follow the Centre's advice to resolve the matter.
Andhra Pradesh has objected to construction of new irrigation projects on Godavari and Krishna rivers by Telangana Government in "violation" of the AP Reorganisation Act-2014.