Mysore/Mysuru: A thanksgiving programme was held in city on Thursday to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for launching micro-credit scheme for street vendors as a gesture to tide over the current situation owing to COVID-19.

At a function organised by Belaku Charitable Trust here, the beneficiaries of Rs.10,000 loan scheme shouted pro-Modi slogans and thanked him for this scheme which had already benefited over 800 beneficiaries in city. They also distributed sweets.

City BJP President T.S. Srivatsa and Belaku Charitable Trust President K.M. Nishanth started this programme by presenting the dummy cheques to the beneficiaries.

Srivatsa said there are numerous incidents where street vendors have got into trouble for non-payment of loan borrowed from private money lenders. Most of them have ended up in paying heavy interest than clearing the principle amount. The micro-credit scheme launched by PM would be a boon for lakhs of street vendors who get Rs.10,000 each without collateral security. As many as 28 lakh persons had applied of which 15 lakh have got Rs.10,000 deposited in their bank account. In Mysuru, over 300 persons who had collected the application form from Belaku Charitable Trust, had been sanctioned Rs.10,000.

Nishanth said fruit-vegetable sellers, cobblers, vulcanisers, chat seller, toy makers and others faced problems during COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding this, Modi launched his programme as part of ‘Atma Nirbhar’ only to help street vendors.

Charitable Trust Convenor M.N. Dhanush, Adi Karnataka Street Vendors Association President Ravikumar, BJP leaders Vanishkumar, Jayram, Sudarshan, Ranganath, Prasad, Madhu, Hemanth, Prajwal, Santosh, Nikil and Nanjundaswamy of Autorickshaw Drivers Association were present.