Tummala hits out at BJP, BRS for creating obstacles to crop loan waiver
Hyderabad: Agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao on Tuesday criticised the BJP and the BRS for creating obstacles for the state government’s plans to waive crop loans for narrow political gains.
Addressing media persons, the minister said: “The BJP, which never implemented any loan waiver, and the BRS, which implemented it in a phased manner, are criticising us. Such mudslinging by these parties is not good. I request them not to create hurdles with an eye on political gains. We are implementing our promise in the first crop season after we came to power.”
He said that the government is keeping its word having made a solemn promise in the Warangal declaration. He said the third phase of loan waiver for those owing `2 lakh each will coincide with the release of Godavari water to Khammam district.
“The BRS promised Rs 1 lakh waiver in the 2018 Assembly polls but it did not act for four years. In 2023, it sold rights over the Outer Ring Road for just Rs 7,000 crore. As the information of farmers was given wrongly by the BRS government, some of the money came back to the government coffers. We are verifying the mistakes made by banks with regard to 17,000 loan accounts and 10,000 of them have received money.”
Clearing the air on Rythu Bharosa, the agriculture minister said it will be released after discussions in the public domain in four more districts. The exercise, he opined, will help in avoiding wastage of Rs 25,000 crore which went to lands without cultivation. Modalities of the crop insurance scheme are being worked out and it is at the tender stage and will be extended to all farmers unlike in the past when it was limited to farmers who availed bank loans. Rythu Bima will be continued.
The farmers can approach the agriculture officers to seek clarification on the reasons for denial of waiver to them if needed. “The officer can verify their status on the Rythu Samachara Patram app with them and do so,” he said.
The projects in Krishna basin like Jurala, Srisailam are full and Nagarjunasagar gates have been lifted and Godavari is also expected to get good inflows as per forecasts. “This is a good sign and farmers can sow crops of their choice. The Central government has not sent urea and DAP to meet our full requirement. Though there is no shortage as of now, we are trying to have buffer stocks,” he said.