Farm Loan Waiver Hype is with an Eye on Ensuing Local Body Elections: Bandi

Hyderabad: Union minister of state for home Bandi Sanjay Kumar demanded that the Congress government in the state waive crop loans up to Rs.2 lakh without laying conditions, as it had promised during the Assembly elections.

The government must initiate measures to waive the interest and ensure that farmers are removed from the defaulters list of banks so that they can avail of fresh loans to carry out agriculture operations.

In a statement here on Thursday, Sanjay asked the Congress about Rythu Bharosa for the rabi and kharif seasons and setting pre-conditions and cutting the loan waiver amount.

The government is due Rs.20,000 crore to farmers under Rythu Bharosa, he said and added that the same amount was being shifted for farm loan waiver.

Farmers had turned defaulters due to the “foolish calculations” of the BRS government, he said. The Congress government must show its commitment to farmers by waiving Rs.2 lakh loan and its interest.

He said that according to the state level bankers committee, farmers had borrowed Rs.64,000 crore overall. The state government was waiving only a tenth of the amount, he claimed.