Expressbuzz, Dec 15, 2009
BHAWANIPATNA: The ripples of micro-finance institutions’ (MFIs) crisis of Andhra Pradesh are being felt in Kalahandi with a MFI loanee allegedly committing suicide. The victim, a resident of irrigation colony here, took the extreme step on Saturday after failing to repay the loan. An unnatural death case has been registered in the Town police station.
As per reports, the victim had borrowed Rs 8000 from a Hyderabad-based MFI and was intimidated for failing to repay the amount.
With the expansion of MFIs in Kalahandi, criticism is mounting that loans for poor people, who donot posses proper knowledge in finances, can become debt traps.
The erring MFIs have been charged with exploiting the poor with ‘usurious interest rates’ and intimidating the borrowers by ‘forced loan recovery’ practices, the combined effect of which forced the debt-ridden poor to suicide.
The trend of micro-finance is growing due to the gap between banks and the people at the bottom of the pyramid as far as provision of financial services in a desired manner is concerned. The banks are either unwilling or unable to extend financial help to the rural poor.
These MFIs have developed networks by employing youths. The recovery is usually on weekly basis and the rate of interest charged in very high but it is designed in a way that the victims easily fall prey.
The loan period is 50 weeks. For instance, for a loan of Rs 10,000 the loanee has to pay Rs 225 each week and by the end of the term, the total payment is Rs 11,250. Besides, each week loanee has to deposit Rs 20 with the supervisor of the institution as a saving. Micro-credit has been designed to keep savings low, such that the credit cycle can move uninterrupted.
In 2006 there were a spate of suicides over MFI loans that rocked parts of Andhra Pradesh.
In most of the cases, the persons covered by the MFIs are extended loans to purchase luxury items like TV, mobile phone, DVD players, musical system, to repair house, marriage purpose and for small trading activities.
Usually most of the loanees are incapable of paying the weekly installments due to limited income and to repay the old debt, they take money from another MFI. Thus the vicious cycle of debt continues.
Despite all this, there is no government organisation to monitor the activities of these MFIs and create awareness among people. The danger of micro-credit-related suicides cannot be ruled out as the micro-credit movement spreads across the district.
Unless the administration gets its act together in assessing the severity of the situation and initiates stringent measures, poor rural households will continue to remain at the mercy of these ‘new’ moneylenders.
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