Guwahati, July 31: The Assam government on Friday announced a six-month moratorium on repayment of all types of loans for people affected by recent floods in Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat, even as the state’s flood death toll rose to 80 and the number of affected people fell to about 2.12 lakh, officials said. The decision was taken after a special meeting of the State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and attended by representatives of the RBI, NABARD, SBI and other commercial banks.
Sarma said the SLBC agreed that only borrowers whose properties or livelihoods were hit by the deluge in the four districts will be eligible for the six-month repayment holiday; banks will assess individual cases. He appealed to borrowers outside the affected areas to continue their EMIs. Loan tenures for affected customers can be extended by banks from one year up to seven years, depending on the type of debt.
To aid small traders whose shops were destroyed, Sarma said banks will credit an additional sum of Rs 10,000 into affected borrowers’ loan accounts “without any new mortgage or collateral.” The state has also approved a one-time assistance of Rs 1.5 lakh for each Namghar in flood-ravaged Sivasagar and Charaideo to help rebuild these religious institutions.
Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya visited affected areas to review relief and rescue operations, while the state government has sought a support package from the Centre for relief and rehabilitation. Earlier, the opposition Assam Jatiya Parishad had urged the government and the RBI to announce a six-month moratorium for flood victims.
An Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) bulletin said two people died in the last 24 hours — both in Sivasagar, including a boy — taking the season’s toll to 80. According to the ASDMA daily report, about 2,12,400 people remain affected across Charaideo, Golaghat, Jorhat and Sivasagar, with Charaideo the worst hit (nearly 80,000), followed by Sivasagar (around 71,000) and Jorhat (about 40,000). The situation has improved since Wednesday, when more than three lakh people were affected.
The administration is operating 112 relief camps and distribution centres across the four districts, caring for 75,583 people at present.
PTI
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/assam-announces-6-month-loan-moratorium-aid-for-namghars-in-flood-hit-areas
Category: Assam,Featured
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Publish Date: 2026-07-31 11:46:00
