Ensure availability of small notes for Aasara pensioners:Etela Rajender

Finance minister E Rajender wanted bankers to see to it that Aasara pensions were disbursed to 36 lakh families in the state without any problem.

Addressing the State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) meeting on Thursday, Rajender wanted bankers to see that small denomination notes were available for disbursing the Aasara pensions.

Stating that cash transactions were highest in states like Telangana, Rajender wanted the bankers to address the shortage of currency notes in villages.

Rajender said the problems of farmers and weaker sections were increasing day by day due to cancellation of the big notes. Daily wage labourers in Hyderabad too did not get employment in the last 15 days, the minister said. He wanted the



bankers to circulate new `500 notes.

Agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy blasted the bankers for collecting the interest amounts from farmers on the agriculture loans waived by the state government.The bankers were careless to follow the instructions of the government, the minister said.

Srinivas Reddy suggested the bankers to mend their ways and not to collect the interest from farmers on the waived crop loans.“If the bankers continued the same attitude, the government will be compelled to pay the third instalment of crop loan directly to farmers. The farmers are approaching the private money lenders for loans,” the minister said.

SBH and finance department officials were present at the meet.