Bhatti lashes out at BRS leaders for malicious propaganda on farmers loan waiver

Bhatti visited his constituency Madhira in Khammam district on Wednesday after implementing the third and final phase of loan waiver for farmers upto Rs 2 lakh. Addressing a meeting at Jamalapuram in Madhira constituency, the Deputy Chief Minister came down heavily on those indulging in false propaganda on Rs 2 lakh loan waiver.

Those who failed to implement loan waiver in five years had the audacity to talk about those who implemented loan waiver and kept their election promise in the first year of coming to power itself. “Shame on them,” he said, though he regretted using such language.

He clarified that farmers who had taken more than Rs.2 lakh loan, should repay loan over and above Rs.2 lakh and inform the agriculture department. Then immediately Rs.2 lakh would be waived for them too. The Congress government had implemented Rs.2 lakh loan waiver at one go in the State though none in the country had expected it.

That too the promise was implemented and completed in the first year itself despite the challenging financial situation in the State. Giving the timeline, he said the GO on loan waiver was issued on July 17 and from the next day itself, amount was credited into the accounts of farmers who had availed loan upto Rs.1 lakh.

The second phase was taken up within 15 days while the Assembly session was in progress and amount was credited into the accounts of farmers on July 30 with loan upto Rs.1.5 lakh. The third phase was implemented in the Wyra public meeting on August 15 and amount was credited into the accounts of farmers with loan upto Rs.2 lakh.

In contrast, the previous BRS government repaid Rs.1 lakh loan of farmers in four instalments from 2014 to 2018. As the previous government did not repay the entire loan amount in lump sum, what they had paid in instalments was enough to cover the interest. Bankers could not give fresh loans to farmers. When BRS came back to power in the second term, they implemented loan waiver for farmers in a haphazard way before elections, he recalled.

Reiterating that Congress government is people’s government, Bhatti said that “we like you did not loot people. We will distribute State wealth to people”. Lashing out at the wickedness of BRS leaders, Bhatti said they did not implement crop insurance schemes for 10 years. In the last one decade, farmers who suffered crop loss did not get even one rupee. The Congress government soon after coming to power paid insurance premiums on behalf of farmers to the insurance companies.

Not only crop insurance, the Congress government had even paid Rythu Bhima amount on behalf of farmers. No farmer would have to pay even a rupee under Rythu Bhima. “This is our government’s commitment,” Bhatti said.

Elaborating the emphasis given to agriculture, he said the Congress government allocated a record Rs.72,000 crore in the State budget for agriculture and allied sectors. The previous BRS rulers did not even print Rajiv Arogyasri health cards. The Congress government soon after taking oath increased the Rajiv Arogyasri limit from Rs.5 lakh to Rs.10 lakh. Free travel was extended to women in RTC buses and the government was reimbursing the ticket amount to RTC.

The Congress government supplied cooking gas cylinders each at Rs.500 only and providing power free upto 200 units and it will do more for people in the coming days and every year it will extend Rs.20,000 crore interest free loans to women self help groups and in five years a total amount of Rs.1 lakh crore loans would be extended to SHGs, he said.