Goa State Rural Livelihood Mission Partners with Banks to Ease Credit Access for Women SHGs, Rural Entrepreneurs

Goa State Rural Livelihood Mission Partners with Banks to Ease Credit Access for Women SHGs, Rural Entrepreneurs

SANKHALI: Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant on Tuesday inaugurated the Maha Loan Mela at Navelim Panchayat Hall, Sankhali, in a bid to bridge the credit gap for rural households and self-help groups across North Goa.Organised under the Goa State Rural Livelihood Mission in collaboration with nationalised banks, cooperative banks, and micro-finance institutions, the mela brought loan officers, SHG members, and aspiring rural entrepreneurs under one roof for on-the-spot sanction and disbursement.

Addressing the gathering, CM Sawant said the State’s goal is to make rural women financially self-reliant through the SHG-Bank Linkage model. “Mudra loans, Stand-Up India, and GSRLM convergence schemes have the funds. Our job is to ensure last-mile delivery without middlemen or delays,” he said

Over 15 bank stalls from SBI, Bank of Baroda, HDFC, Goa State Cooperative Bank, and others set up desks to process applications for individual loans, group loans, and enterprise credit. GSRLM officials said pre-screened SHGs were called for instant sanction letters, while new entrepreneurs received handholding on documentation, CIBIL checks, and business plan drafting.

Goa SRLM, under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, focuses on mobilizing rural poor women into SHGs and linking them to credit for livelihoods  Officials said the Maha Loan Mela format cuts down processing time from months to hours by bringing bankers to the panchayat level.“Earlier our women had to visit bank branches 3-4 time

CM directed banks to follow up on all applications within 15 days and asked GSRLM to track disbursements.

He also urged SHGs to use the credit for productive assets, not consumption. “Repayment discipline by Goa’s SHGs is above 95%. Banks should trust them with bigger loans,” Sawant added.The Navelim event is the first of a series of taluka-level Loan Melas planned across Goa this quarter to saturate eligible SHGs with credit before the financial year-end.