Janhvi Ahuja, Pune
On Thursday, the Telangana Government started Phase 1 of the crop loan waiver scheme that was guaranteed by Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition during the Telangana Assembly elections advocacy that took place last year. Under this scheme, the Opposition assured that loan amount of Rs. 2 Lakhs would be ceded from farmers.
The Chief Minister of Telangana, Revanth Reddy, had a conference with the MLAs and the leaders of the other parties in the Praja Bhavan to discuss the details of the program. In this session, the CM mentioned that all crop loans from Rs. 1 Lakh to Rs. 15 Lakhs would be removed by the end of July. There will also be a deposit of Rs. 6800 to the farmers whose loans are under Rs. 1 Lakh.
He solidified this by saying, “If the Gandhi family gives its word, it is an edict in stone… Before the Assembly elections, Rahul Gandhi promised a loan waiver of up to Rs. 2 Lakhs and we are implementing it.”
The CM also added that the Congress Government wanted to help every farmer and remove all debt. He further said that Telangana will set an example for the whole country by creating a proper agriculture policy.
Even though the financial experts have mentioned that it would be tough to yield all the loans, the government is continuing with the decision to follow through on the scheme.
The Telangana Government was firm on their verdict to pass this scheme as there were barely any loans that gave a steady cash flow to farmers. They also believed that if this situation was to continue then the farmers would be confined in a constant cycle of indebtedness.
The CM also mentioned that the last BRS Government and former Chief Minister, K Chandrasekhar Rao did not take any initiative towards helping the farmers and looking after their welfare.
Also at the conference, the Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka stated that the government has put in many sleepless nights to set this loan waiver scheme in motion. He also added that around 6 Lakh families of the farmers who do not have a ration card will be covered under this scheme. The Deputy Chief Minister further added that this scheme was made, keeping in mind the necessities of the farmers.