KCR clears 2018 farm loan waiver promise just before polls; Cong, BJP cry foul

“KCR has suddenly remembered his promise of loan waiver to farmers three months before the Assembly elections. Where was he till now? Wasn’t it a poll promise in 2018? Having abandoned the farmers over the last four years, he now realises that he is losing, and suddenly remembers the farm loan waiver. This ‘act’ will be remembered by all of Telangana’s farmers, who will teach him a lesson. The announcement has been delayed to just before the elections so that the Opposition parties can’t question the KCR government or pin it down on why it did not waive the farm loans,’’ said K Krishna Sagar Rao, the chief spokesperson of Telangana BJP.

“The farmers of Telangana have been fooled and they have decided to end the BRS rule over its failed promise of farm loan waiver. Farmers are angry and they are disrupting BRS meetings over this grievance. KCR’s announcement is just a poll gimmick. He has no intention of waiving the farmers’ loans,’’ said Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief A Revanth Reddy.

The CM said that the implementation of farm loan waiver scheme had been delayed by the economic slowdown caused by a series of events beyond its control, from the Centre’s 2016 demonetisation decision, to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the state’s economy, as well as the Centre’s vindictive attitude towards Telangana by not releasing FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) and other funds that otherwise made up for the state’s fiscal deficit.

But with the state’s economy now making a healthy recovery, the CM held a high-level review meeting at Pragati Bhavan on the steps to be taken to restart the loan waiver scheme for farmers. The meeting was attended by the state Finance Minister T Harish Rao, Chief Advisor to the CM Somesh Kumar, Special Chief Secretary (Finance) Ramakrishna Rao, HMDA Principal Secretary Arvind Kumar and Agriculture Secretary Raghunandan Rao. At the meeting, the CM said that as promised, his government is now implementing the farmers’ loan waiver scheme.

“The state government is sincerely implementing schemes like Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima, free electricity and irrigation to farmers,’’ he said. “Notwithstanding the problems faced by the state, the government will not neglect the welfare of farmers. Further, the government has initiated a big programme of setting up food processing units for agricultural development. The government won’t rest until farmers are empowered and financially uplifted,” the CM said.

He also said that the state government required another Rs 19,000 crore to waive off the pending farm loans, over and above what has already been waived off. “The CM has directed Finance Minister T Harish Rao and Special Chief Secretary (Finance) Ramakrishna Rao to resume this programme from August 3, and complete it by the second week of September, in the same way benefits of the Rythu Bandhu scheme were directly deposited in phases to the farmers’ bank accounts.