HDK attacks Modi, says crop loan waiver on track

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said the government had achieved 90-92% progress in collecting information from banks on crop loans farmers had borrowed, while hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for criticising his loan waiver scheme.

“So far, we have collected information on crop loans borrowed by 20.80 lakh farmers from 33 nationalised banks and 21 lakh farmers from cooperative banks. Funds will be released to the banks based on this information,” Kumaraswamy told reporters after a day-long meeting with regional commissioners, deputy commissioners and chief executive officers.

“Modi has said in Chhattisgarh that Karnataka announced a loan waiver, but had issued warrants to farmers. It is the Centre that is issuing warrants (banks come under the Centre) whereas we are waiving the loans,” Kumaraswamy said.

Project launch

The crop loan waiver, Kumaraswamy’s pet project pegged at Rs 45,000 crore, will be rolled out in the Doddaballapur and Sedam taluks as a pilot. “Farmers will start getting debt-free certificates starting the first week of December.”

Kumaraswamy also countered BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa’s claim that the government had achieved only 39% progress in terms of expenditure.

“Till October, our government has spent Rs 94,704 crore out of a total budget of Rs 2.18 lakh crore, which translates into 43%. This is more than 39% that Yeddyurappa’s government had spent till October in 2008,” the chief minister said. “Yeddyurappa needn’t worry about expenditure. We will spend whatever is allocated effectively.”

The government will build 1,000 new homes at a cost of Rs 10 lakh each on a 120-acre land for those displaced in the floods in Kodagu.

“I’m flagging this off on December 8,” he said. Also, the government has identified over 8,000 acres of land across the state to provide housing for farmers.”

“The revenue department has identified 6,747 acres of government land and we’re purchasing 2,000 acres of private land,” Kumaraswamy said.