In a bid to provide easy loan facility to the poor residing in 'Lal-Dora' (village premises) without any ownership record, the state government would soon launch a state-wide drive in coordination with various banks.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting held by chief minister Parkash Singh Badal with senior officers of different banks at his residence last night, an official spokesman said here today.

The representatives of various banks who participated in the meeting included chief general manager, State Bank of India S K Sehgal and general manager State Bank of Patiala, Abhay Nath.

It also included the deputy general manager RBI (Rural Planning and Credit Department) Anitha Srinivasan, assistant general manager, Punjab National Bank, S M Agarwal and zonal manager, Punjab and Sind Bank, Gurnam Singh.

The chief minister asked the bankers to facilitate small loans for the poor people to enable them start some business for earning their livelihood.

He said they were facing lot of hardships in securing loans from banks due to non-availability of ownership records of their ancestral houses in the Lal Dora.

The bankers agreed to organise the first such loan camp at village Badal next week in coordination with welfare department of the Punjab government.