BALASORE: Barely literate, they had hoped to supplement family income by forming an SHG. All their hopes fell like nine pins when they found to their horror that an anganwadi supervisor had fraudulently taken a loan of Rs. 4.49 lakh against their SHG. The anganwadi supervisor, Ramamani Panda, duped the SHG members of the amount by promising them Rs. 1.20 lakh as subsidy.Ramamani had availed a loan of Rs. 4.49 lakh from Januganj branch of Balasore-Bhadrak Central Cooperative Bank in the name of the SHG by mortgaging their land pattas. The SHG members learnt about the deal only after the bank issued a notice asking for repayment of the loan.A group of 12 women from Sahupada village under Remuna block formed an SHG, Ashra in 2002. Being semi-literate they took the help of an anganwadi worker of their village, Namita Panda, for maintenance of their register and updating documents.Ashra president Ahalya Mahalik alleged that Namita convinced them to avail of a loan under Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) by mortgaging their land pattas. “She told us that we have to give our land pattas and she would provide us Rs. 10,000 each and after three years we will get our land pattas back,” Mahalik said.For the purpose, Namita arranged a meeting of the SHG members with Ramamani, who Namita claimed has an easy access to the bank for obtaining the loan. Ramamani too assured them of a subsidy of Rs. 1.2 lakh as promised by Namita. Subsequently the loan was sanctioned in 2008, the year they had applied for it. Binati Jena, secretary of the SHG, said Ramamani had only provided them Rs. 60,000 and didn’t inform about the loan amount. “We signed on the dotted line. Ramamani convinced us that we will get our land pattas by 2011 end but were surprised to get the bank notice for loan repayment,” she said.While Ramamani denied her involvement in the case, bank officials too said the loan had been sanctioned in the name of the SHG. Meanwhile, the SHG members met bank president Jiban Pradip Dash and secretary Bishnu Mohanty seeking justice. They have also lodged a complaint with Industrial Area police seeking action against the anganwadi supervisor. Police on Wednesday initiated a probe following complaints from the SHG members. The bank secretary, however, said all the documents submitted are of the SHG and the members have signed while receiving loan cheques. Bank’s Zonal Manager Baidyanath Satpathy is inquiring into the matter, he said.
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