Cong to monitor farm loan-waiver scheme in Uttarakhand

Earlier this week, a two-day meeting of the party was organised in Dehradun in which it was decided that at least two trained party workers would go to each block and enlighten the people about the scheme. They would work as party observers in these 95 blocks across the state. The initial exercise of contacting the beneficiaries of the scheme is to be completed by Saturday.

Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram has already asked the public sector banks to prepare a list of farmers covered under the scheme. The list will be put up by all the bank branches and financial institutions from where the farmers have taken loans by June 30. The farmers can go to the banks and see their names on the lists and the quantum of loans waived. Chidambaram has also told the public sector banks to provide a certificate of the loan waived to the farmers in the language with which they are familiar.

“In case the beneficiary’s name is missing from the list, we will tell him how to approach the appellate authority. We will be present in the villages during this period,” said senior party leader Suryakant Dhasmana from a Congress camp in Tehri district of the state.

Party spokesperson Surinder Aggarwal said, “We have told the state Government that the state machinery should not resort to red tapism while implementing the scheme. Uttarakhand is likely to get a loan-waiver benefit of Rs 450 crore.” Union Minister of State for Finance Pawan Kumar Bansal had come to Dehradun recently and had given directions to the senior bank officials on the implementation of the scheme, he added.