Farmers’ bodies protest MP loan waiver ‘rider’ | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Farmers’ bodies protest MP loan waiver ‘rider’

Bhopal | By
Aug 24, 2019 12:37 AM IST

In an open letter to farmers, Nath said: “Loans of all those farmers whose loans are ₹2 lakh or less (per head) against one loan account or one of (the) loans, in case of more than one loan, will be waived as per priority to give more benefit to small farmers.”

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath on Friday said farm loans of one loan account of up to 2 lakh would be waived but farmers’ associations termed this a change in his government’s stand and threatened to launch an agitation.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath on Friday said farm loans of one loan account of up to <span class='webrupee'>₹</span>2 lakh would be waived but farmers’ associations termed this a change in his government’s stand and threatened to launch an agitation.(ANI Photo)
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath on Friday said farm loans of one loan account of up to 2 lakh would be waived but farmers’ associations termed this a change in his government’s stand and threatened to launch an agitation.(ANI Photo)

In an open letter to farmers, Nath said: “Loans of all those farmers whose loans are 2 lakh or less (per head) against one loan account or one of (the) loans, in case of more than one loan, will be waived as per priority to give more benefit to small farmers.”

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Soon after taking charge as chief minister in December 2018, Nath had announced a scheme to waive farm loans of up to 2 lakh for all farmers but did not mention any specific conditions.

According to farmers’ associations, there was no such “rider” till now.

“The state government had promised that it would waive loans of farmers up to 2 lakh, irrespective of their loan amount on higher side and number of loan accounts,” said Rahul Raj, Madhya Pradesh president of Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangthan.

He said the CM’s letter made it clear that if a farmer had an outstanding loan exceeding 2 lakh, he or she would not be eligible for the waiver. “And also, if a farmer has more than one loan account, the government will only choose one of the accounts to waive the loan,” he claimed.

No state government official was willing to comment on Nath’s letter, saying the CM has made the announcement.

In the letter, Nath emphasized that his government was facing financial constraints, despite which loans worth 7,000 crore of two million farmers had been waived in the last eight months.

The state government has received 4.8 million applications from 3.7 million farmers, the letter said. Nath attributed the delay in implementing the second phase of the waiver to scrutiny of loan accounts and asked farmers to renew their loan accounts till their loans are waived.

Rahul Raj said there was no option left but to launch a movement against the government’s alleged betrayal. He was backed by Anil Yadav, state president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, who said protests would begin across the state if Nath failed to keep his promise of waiving all farm loans up to 2 lakh.

Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party leader Hitesh Bajpai said, “We are hardly surprised. Our leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said in their speeches during the assembly elections that Congress would never waive farmers’ loans.”

Agriculture minister Sachin Yadav said, “Our government doesn’t want any loophole to be overlooked, so it requires major scrutiny.”

He said the names of many farmers who had not taken loans were in the list of defaulters. “There are several irregularities and we are looking into it,” he said, assuring farmers that the next round of loan waiver would be announced soon.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Ranjan Srivastava leads HT’s coverage from Bhopal. He has spent more than two decades in journalism in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, covering political and other affairs. For the past 16 years, he has been working in Madhya Pradesh.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On