Porvorim (Goa)  Goa cabinet today decided to extend, until December this year, one-time settlement of loan scheme for the people affected due to the ban on the mining industry in the past.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar briefing media persons after the cabinet meeting said that the scheme has been reopened but will not entertain new applications.

“Due to some reasons like the end of scheme period and technical issues, there were applications which were either not considered on time or were rejected. Such applications will now be considered under the scheme,” Parrikar said.

He said that some banks had approached the state government informing that there are few trucks and barges which were left out, as the period of the scheme got over.

Parrikar said that the OTS is kept open for such applicants till December 2017.

“This is not for new applications at all. This is to ensure that those people whose applications were being processed but could not be approved as the scheme period got over and also for some which were rejected on technical grounds,” the Chief Minister said.

“We will review those technical grounds. There are around 30-40 such applications,” he said.

The truck, barges (ships), and machinery owners who were affected due to the ban on mining activity between 2012 to 2014 were provided debt relief under this scheme.

To be eligible for the scheme, a borrower should have availed of a loan from a financial institution on or before September 30, 2012, for the purchase of a truck, tipper, barge or mining machinery, to be used within the state. The subsidy is limited to one borrower per family.