Govt open to further tweaking Rs 3 lakh crore credit guarantee scheme: Sitharaman

26 Aug 2020 Evaluate

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said the government is open to further tweaking the Rs 3 lakh crore credit guarantee scheme for providing collateral-free loans to small businesses. She said domestic revenue generation is a concern as sectors such as tourism, real estate, hospitality, and airlines have been affected disproportionately by the COVID-19 pandemic. She noted that structural reform is a key priority for the government and it will move fast on the Cabinet-cleared disinvestment proposals, including that of banks.

The minister further said that every announcement has had a structural reform component with it, and the government is reaching out to industry to understand their concerns. She also said structural reforms are key priority for the government, reflected in government announcements to address COVID-19 challenges. On the private investment cycle, she said that in September 2019, the government had reduced corporate tax rate but investments could not happen due to COVID-19. With post-COVID reset happening, she said data-driven manufacturing models and newer investments can happen in FinTech.

Earlier this month, the government had widened the scope of the Rs 3-lakh crore credit guarantee scheme by doubling the upper ceiling of loans outstanding to Rs 50 crore and including certain individual loans given to professionals like doctors, lawyers and chartered accountants for business purposes under its ambit, apart from MSMEs. Till August 20, banks have disbursed more than Rs 1 lakh crore loans under the Rs 3-lakh crore Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS), which was announced as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat package.

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