By IANS,
New Delhi :The government will provide Rs.185 crore (Rs.1.85 billion) as loans during the current financial year for income generating activities to help individuals from minority communities living in abysmal poverty, the Lok Sabha was told Thursday.
Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Thursday said the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) will disburse the amount to 79,860 beneficiaries living below double the poverty line. The poverty line is defined as an income of about Rs.10 per day per person.
“During the current financial year, as per the MOU between the ministry and NMDFC, a target of disbursement of Rs.185.00 crore has been fixed for covering 79,860 beneficiaries,” Khurshid said.
The NMDFC is a public sector enterprise under the administrative control of the ministry.