Editorial
CA and Army Chief's call for leniency to debtors
NGOs should be responsive of their own accord
AMIDST mixed stories about NGO leaders announcing loan waivers but their field operatives pressing for installment payments in the Sidr affected areas, the Chief Adviser and the Army Chief have lent their voice to the cause. The CA, at a meeting with NGO representatives, called for a lenient approach in the recovery of loans. The Army Chief requested them to waive installment of agricultural loans for the next four months at least.
We are happy to note that a number of prominent and large NGOs have already suspended installment payment including granting waivers. Grameen Bank has already announced suspension of installment payment up to June, 2008 including writing off of any outstanding loans of those killed in the cyclone. Any savings in their accounts would accrue to survivors of the concerned families. One of the other prominent NGOs dealing with microcredit, ASA, has declared that it would provide sizeable amount of interest-free loans including a 50 percent waiver in the case of the disabled. State-run PKSF has also announced similar decisions.
So far so good; however, what remains to be seen is the actual implementation of the commitments on the ground. Often in the past, under similar crisis situation, of whether lesser or larger dimension, we have had contradictory reports from amongst recipients about the services received. Very often it is due to lack of clear instructions from NGO authorities to their workers afield or lack of supervision. The target beneficiaries in their respective areas of operation should also have access to information relevant for them through some mechanism, especially by miking and distribution of leaflets.
The essential thing is for the different NGO headquarters to clearly let the public know about their specific offers of write-off, waivers and rescheduling of repayment dates so that nothing is left to guess-work.
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