Opposition Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) on Thursday urged the government and the RBI to immediately announce a six-month moratorium on repayment of all loans and EMIs for people affected by the devastating floods in the northeastern state.
The regional party requested the Centre, Assam government, Reserve Bank of India, and other banks and financial institutions to consider the moratorium plea for Upper Assam districts.
In a joint statement, AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi and general secretary Jagadish Bhuyan said the unprecedented floods have severely disrupted the lives and livelihoods of lakhs of people across the state.
They noted that thousands of families have lost homes, agricultural lands, small businesses, livestock and sources of income, pushing them into acute financial distress.
“Under such extraordinary circumstances, the burden of repaying bank loans, housing loans, vehicle loans, business loans, microfinance loans, self-help group (SHG) loans, and other EMIs has become unbearable for flood-affected families,” the AJP said.
Expressing deep concern over the situation, Gogoi and Bhuyan said that disasters of this magnitude demand compassionate and people-centric policy decisions.
“The AJP leaders demand that a moratorium of at least six months be declared on the repayment of all categories of loans and EMIs for all eligible borrowers residing in flood-affected areas of Assam,” the statement said.
They also demanded that no late payment charges, penal interest or any other additional financial penalties should be imposed during the moratorium period.
Besides, the opposition party called for a special rehabilitation package for farmers, small entrepreneurs, self-help groups and families that have lost their livelihood due to the floods.
“The package should include easy-term credit facilities, concessional loans and special interest relief to enable affected people to restore their economic activities,” it said.
The two AJP leaders said that disaster response cannot be confined merely to the distribution of relief materials.
“Providing financial relief to families that have lost everything in the floods is equally essential for helping them return to normal life. Ensuring such relief is one of the foremost responsibilities of the government during a humanitarian crisis,” they said.
The flood situation in Assam remained grim on Thursday, even as water receded from most parts of the state, with the death toll rising to 78 and over three lakh people continuing to reel under the deluge.
