GUWAHATI: Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia has demanded high-level inquiry into the deaths of five members of a “debt-ridden” family in Kokrajhar district.
A couple and their three daughters were found “hanging” at their residence at Gossaigaon in the western Assam district on Monday morning.
In a statement issued here, Saikia demanded that the chief minister should immediately announce a special financial package to assist families adversely affected by the coronavirus-related lockdown.
He also demanded that an ordinance be promulgated to rein in certain micro finance institutions which are luring people into a debt trap by giving loans on simple criteria and then charging compound interest from the debtors.
The Opposition leader further demanded that the details of the funds collected from people by the state government in the name of combating the corona pandemic should be made public and that the funds should be used for providing financial aid to needy families.
Stating that some micro finance institutions (MFIs) have aggravated the economic crisis in Assam, Saikia mentioned that in November last year he had apprised the Governor of Assam of the nefarious activities of some MFIs and had also moved a resolution proposal in the Assam Legislative Assembly recently, seeking steps to regulate activities of MFIs.
He also revealed that he had during March 30 and July 12 this year written to the chief minister and chief secretary of Assam about the economic hardships faced by the common people and suggested several remedial measures, including grant of Rs 7,500 per month to needy families.
“However, the state government has utterly failed to take any step to alleviate the misery of common folk,” he alleged.