Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy called on the bankers to adopt a positive approach towards educational and housing sectors and move ahead with a proactive action plan for extending loans as the two sectors for socio-economic development.

Addressing the State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) meeting here on Friday, the Chief Minister expressed displeasure over the banks extending loans up to 42.91 % and 33.58 % only of targets fixed for the educational and housing sectors respectively in the present fiscal.

He said that the government has so far distributed 30.75 lakh house sites free of cost to women and the necessary sand is supplied freely for the construction of houses while steel and cement are being supplied at subsidy rates. Reminding the bankers that they have agreed in the last meeting to provide a loan of Rs 35,000 each for the beneficiaries additionally at 3 per cent interest which would be reimbursed by the Government, he asked them to provide loans for the rest of the beneficiaries who are left over.

The government will begin construction of an additional three lakh houses in April, he said, adding that a total of 30.75 lakh houses will be built for the poor. He asked the bankers to extend loans to all the beneficiaries saying that the worth of the houses would go up to Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh each once they are ready. In this context, bankers should become pro-active and extend more loans to the beneficiaries, he suggested.

Speaking about the short-term crop loans extended to the farmers in the agricultural sector, the Chief Minister said that targets were reached up to 83. 36 % only in this regard and bankers should also concentrate on achieving the targets fully.