Goodness Apple

Loan target fixed for women SHGs

Posted in Business by goodnessapple on May 1, 2010

Coimbatore: District Collector P. Umanath has announced that Rs. 95 crore has been fixed as the target for extending loans to women self-help groups in the district during the fiscal 2010-2011.

Speaking at the district-level bankers’ meeting held at the Collector, Dr. Umanath said that last year, the financial assistance for women self-help groups was utilised well and extended his appreciation to the bankers for the performance. The Central Government has directed for extending banking services in villages that had a population of more than 2,000. Hence, bankers should gear up for the same before March 2011.

The Collector also instructed the bankers to speed up the processing of loan applications under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Scheme, THADCO, Urban and Rural Employment Schemes and for education loan disbursement.

Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/01/stories/2010050158780200.htm

Courtesy
The Hindu

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‘Pavala Vaddi' loans for ex-servicemen

Posted in Enterprising by goodnessapple on April 5, 2010

Chief Minister felicitates war widows at a rally


Quota for children of ex-servicemen in professional colleges also promised

Land sought for construction of houses to serving, retired personnel


— Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

Pride of nation:Army personnel help an elderly woman who lost her loved one in the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict, at a rally addressed by Chief Minister

HYDERABAD, India: Chief Minister K. Rosaiah has offered financial assistance to ex-servicemen and war widows under Pavala Vaddi scheme and also exemption of property tax. He assured them that the State government will consider all their reasonable demands.

Addressing a rally of ex-servicemen and ‘veer naari’ (war widows) at the Artillery Centre near Golconda here on Sunday he stated that the State government had taken up several initiatives including job reservation for retired Army personnel. Allotment of house sites, exemption of property tax, loans under pavala vaddi scheme and reservation for their children in professional education colleges would also be provided, the Chief Minister assured.

There were 148 war widows of soldiers who had laid down their lives in several battles since 1947 in addition to 3,200 World War II veterans and their widows in the State. The government had allocated Rs. 11 crore in the current budgetfor providing an assistance ofRs. 300 per month to each of World War II veterans and their widows. He felicitated war widows on the occasion and hailed the services of Armed Forces in safeguarding the frontiers of the country at all times.

Director General of Artillery Lt. Gen. K.R. Rao paid tributes to soldiers who had sacrificed their lives for the security of the nation and hoped that grievances of ex-servicemen would be settled.

General Officer Commanding (Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka Area) Lt. Gen. B.K. Chengappa requested the government to allot land at subsidised rate for construction of houses to Armed Forces personnel and ex-servicemen under Army Welfare Housing Scheme in Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati. He also urged the authorities to allot land in Vijayawada, Kakinada and Chittoor for setting up polyclinics under Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS).

General Officer Commanding (GOC), Andhra Sub-Area, Maj. Gen. K.D. Singh and Commandant Artillery Centre, Golconda, Brig. Prakash Nair were also present.Over 3,000 ex-servicemen and war widows participated in the rally.

Chief Minister lists measures taken for the welfare Army personnel; promises quota in professional

Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/05/stories/2010040561000600.htm

Courtesy
The Hindu

Small lenders help developing entrepreneurs

Posted in Enterprising by goodnessapple on April 1, 2010
Atuna

Atuna has put the loan to good use in her fried cassava business

The sun is yet to rise.

Atuna, a single mother, carries her stock of cassava through the narrow winding alleyways of Dar Es Salam, Tanzania.

Kiva office

The relaxed atmosphere belies Kiva’s serious mission

Fried cassava is a popular breakfast food in East Africa and for Atuna it is her new business opportunity.

Like most of her customers, and over half the adults in Tanzania, she has no access to conventional banking services.

But she has just got a loan, a loan she hopes will help her build her business and plan for her daughter’s future.

This loan is not from a back alley loan shark – all too common here – but has been supplied via Kiva.org, a California-based website.

Kiva, which is hailed by celebrity supporters such as Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey, enables its users to make personal loans to entrepreneurs, mostly in the developing world.

Person-to-person loans

On the other side of the world – in every respect – is Kiva’s San Francisco headquarters.

Kiva founder Matt Flannery

Kiva founder Mr Flannery wants to reduce world poverty

It is everything you would expect from a Californian IT start up. Laid-back attitude, pets in the office, bar football table in the lunchroom and feet up on the conference room table.

But do not be fooled. Kiva is a hive of activity with a serious work ethic.

Founder Matt Flannery and Kiva president Premal Shah firmly believe it is what their organisation is trying to achieve that has inspired and enthused their staff.

Kiva’s goal is at once simple and extremely ambitious – to reduce world poverty through small, person-to-person loans, known as microfinance.

Relending the money

The entrepreneurs seeking loans on Kiva range from taxi drivers in the Middle East to farmers in South America.

Kiva president Premal Shah
We’ve seen Kiva grow in terms of site traffic and number of people who are willing to make a loan pretty quickly, even without the interest rate component
Kiva president Premal Shah

The amounts they are looking for range from a couple of hundred dollars to more than $1,500. Kiva’s default lending rate is just 2%.

Since it was founded, more than 400,000 users have loaned more than $120m.

Usually, the loans are funded by dozens of different people, each lending as little as $25.

Lenders get updates about the entrepreneur and their business, along with a warm fuzzy glow.

And with Kiva, you can get that same feeling over and over again, if you choose to relend your money once it has been paid back.

Atuna, who is getting the loan, even extends credit to her customers. “They usually pay me every day,” she says. “Within two weeks all payments should be finished.”

It’s Kiva’s own model in miniature.

Social impact

Entrepreneurs such as Atuna have to pay interest on their loans.

Kiva:
Kiva borrowers
439,000 users have funded loans
$127m has been lent
321,000 entrepreneurs in 53 countries have received loans
Source: Kiva

But neither Kiva nor its lenders receive any interest back.

As a registered charity, they are not allowed to profit from the loans.

Initially, Mr Flannery was keen to change this.

“It would take it one step closer to a more dignified relationship between lender and borrower and I would see that as a positive dignified step, but not everyone’s there,” he says.

In fact, for many potential lenders, receiving interest from some of the poorest people in the world would be seen as exploitation rather than dignity.

Yet even without this cash incentive, Kiva is growing fast.

Mr Shah certainly has no wish to change, even if the law would have allowed it, insisting those who lend are more interested in social impact than in rates of return.

“Thus far, we’ve seen Kiva grow in terms of site traffic and number of people who are willing to make a loan pretty quickly, even without the interest rate component,” he says.

Local lenders

So why do the borrowers have to pay interest?

Tanzania v California
Population – 44 million v 37 million
Per capita GDP – $1,353 v $38,956
Life expectancy – 50 years v 80 years
Sources: UN, IMF, WHO, CBEA, CDC, NCHS

Kiva itself keeps the lights on through grants and an optional donation they encourage users to make with each loan.

But they do not actually hand the money over to borrowers.

Instead, they work with many local partners on the ground, established microfinance institutions who collect interest to cover their overheads.

These are high, as inevitably it costs more to manage 50 $100 loans than one of $5,000.

Business woman

But in the end, the efforts provide great support for entrepreneurs such as Neema, a single mother who sells fabrics door to door and is a singer in a band.

Neema

Neema’s entrepreneurial spirit was supported by a loan

Neema has an energetic entrepreneurial spirit. Earlier, she also tried running a pharmacy, but the high costs of drugs and regulation defeated her.

When it failed, she decided to start selling charcoal.

But though versatile, the risk is that Neema will be spreading her activities too thin, so she realises that at some stage she will have to decide which of her activities satisfies her the most. It will not be an easy decision.

“I have been a singer for so many years, so singing is a big part of me,” Neema says.

“But I have also seen people make a success of businesses and that is my dream. I want to be a successful business woman too.”

US lending

Kiva may not be looking to build wealth, but they are looking to increase the impact they have.

To do so, they recently decided to expand into a very different market, offering loans to business owners in the USA.

This proved to be very controversial. A vocal few believe Kiva should focus on the developing world as they feel providing loans in the US will spread the same pot of money more thinly.

Kiva hopes instead it will draw in more people to the website, increasing the size of the pot for all.

The irony for Mr Flannery is that the US launch was in response to the views of many members of the public.

“For years, we’ve been getting hate mail about why are you funding these people in Africa when in our own back yard people need the help,” he says.

There are many issues raised by what Kiva is trying to do.

They have ambitious goals and the way they are trying to achieve them may not be perfect.

But although their processes can clearly be improved, the hope and optimism that the loans had provided to two women in Tanzania is clear.

“Now I have the money to take my child to school, I can pay for her transport and tuition,” says Atuna.

“And for me, I have money for my personal use.”

Reference Link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8594560.stm

Courtesy
BBC News