After the Kerala government launched a Rs 900 crore scheme to help poor students repay their education loans, CPI (M) party has decided to set up help desks across the state to provide information about the scheme to deserving candidates. 

The help desks would be first introduced in Kozhikode district from May 15. The help desks will be functioning in 16 CPI(M) area committee offices of Kozhikode.

The scheme will be benefitting students from families with annual income below Rs 6 lakh. This scheme would benefit students who took loan below Rs 9 lakhs.

On Sunday Kozhikode district committee called a meeting of people who were having difficulty repaying educational loans. In the meeting the district leaders have said that the party will effectively use their organisational units to spread the benefit of the scheme to the public.

Kozhikode district secretary P Mohanan told The News Minute that hundreds of people would be benefited by this scheme and the help desk system.

“Many people used to approach us asking help to repay educational loan. Since government had introduced a scheme that would benefit many, we just have to guide them. Through these help desks we aim at reaching more people so that nobody should be troubled by not knowing about the scheme. In the meeting, many turned up which shows our initiative will be successful,” he said.

Mohanan said that the help desk will also individually help people to secure the benefit from the government.

According to the scheme introduced by the government, for loans below Rs 4 lakh [Non-Performing Asset (NPA) study loans] government would pay 60% of the amount and rest 40% have to be paid by the borrower. Loans above Rs 4 lakh, if they are not NPAs the government would pay back 90% of the amount.