The heavy rain that lashed parts of Mudigere has hit the income of the women agricultural labourers. Even months after the deluge, they have not been to come out of its impact and there is little hope of normal days in the future.
Women workers, who borrowed loan from microfinance companies to meet their expenses, are not in a position to repay as they are not finding jobs. Fed up with the harassment by agents of the companies, the women of Kalasa have formed a committee — Kalasa Taluk Mahila Dourjanya Virodhi Horata Samiti — to fight the institutions. The members of the committee, earlier this week, took out a protest in Kalasa town and held a public meeting.
Prameela Subhash, resident of Kalmakki near Kalasa, had borrowed from three companies to pay for her husband’s medical expenses and the school fees of her children. “I never missed an instalment until August this year. I was working in estates and getting weekly payment of around ₹1,800. But, after the heavy rain, there are no jobs for us,” she said.
Some women have borrowed from more than one company. The weekly instalments they pay wary from ₹650 to ₹1,700 depending on the loan scheme.
Agents from the companies have been putting pressure on the women to clear loans. “They come home as early as 7 a.m. and do not leave until late in the evening. They use foul language and threaten of police cases. Where do we find money to repay them?” asked Kamalamma, president of the committee.
Vast tracts of coffee estates were damaged by the rain coupled with landslips. Two farmers, whose estates were damaged in the floods, allegedly committed suicide in the taluk. “When planters themselves are in a bad state financially, how can we expect them to give us work. We hardly get two days’ work in a week, reducing our weekly income to ₹500, which is insufficient to meet our expenses,” said Chandrakala, vice-president. “Earlier, the daily wage was above ₹300. Now it has come down to ₹250,” said Ms. Kamalamma. The committee, in its appeal to the State government, has alleged that the companies charge annual interest up to 24%. The government should probe into such companies and come to the rescue of the women groups, they said.
Microfinance association asks them to repay loans
The Association of Karnataka Microfinance Institutions (AKMI) has appealed to women groups who have borrowed loans from microfinance institutions to repay within the stipulated time to avoid difficulties.
In a press release, the association said some people were spreading false information among the women groups that the loans would be waived under the Deft Relief Act. “There is no provision to waive loans borrowed from microfinance institutions under this Act. People should not heed baseless information,” it said.
The association also maintained that the institutions had been providing loans to women to meet expenses, besides taking up income-generating activities. If people do not repay, the institutes would not be in a position to extend the benefit to other women groups. The association said those who fail to repay would face difficulties to get loans from nationalised banks and other financial institutions in the future.
