Telangana cabinet approves farm loan waiver

The government also decided to appoint a cabinet sub committee to ensure transparent implementation of Rythu Bharosa.

Hyderabad: Telangana cabinet on Friday approved the farm loan waiver scheme and also decided to appoint a cabinet sub committee to ensure transparent implementation of Rythu Bharosa.

In addition to the six guarantees, the Congress government in Telangana had faced a challenge to carry out another significant promise from the previous year's Assembly polls: waiver of farm loans and an increase in Rythu Bharosa to Rs 15,000.

Apart from six guarantees, the Congress manifesto in the last year Assembly polls had promised waiver of farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh each while increasing the Rythu Bandhu benefit to Rs 15,000 in a year from the present Rs 10,000, besides bringing tenant farmers under the purview of the scheme.

Farmers responded strongly to the Congress's promise to implement farm loan waiver, among other measures, that had helped the party form the government for the first time 10 years after the state was created.

However, the non-implementation of the farm loan waiver has concerned the farmers, due to which, as if in damage control mode, state chief minister A Revanth Reddy at every rally during the just concluded Lok Sabha polls has assured the Rs 2 lakh farm loan waiver at one go before August 15, swearing on gods.

Briefing the media after the cabinet meeting here on Friday, chief minister A Revanth Reddy said as promised by the Congress in the Farmers’ Declaration in Warangal before the Assembly polls, the state Cabinet discussed the implementation of farm loan waiver scheme to benefit the farmers.

“The Congress policy is to promote agriculture as a profitable profession. Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjuna Kharge are committed to fulfill the assurances. The Cabinet decided to waive the farm loan up to Rs 2 lakh. The previous government waived only Rs 28,000 crore farm loans in its 10 year rule. The last government put the cut off on December 11, 2018 to avail the farm loan waiver scheme benefit. The farm loan waiver scheme up to Rs 2 lakh will be implemented at one go,” he added.

Revanth also said that his government decided to waive off the farm loans taken by the farmers between December 12, 2018 and December 9, 2023. It required around Rs 31,000 crore for loan waiver scheme.

“Our government decided to waive off loans for the welfare of farmers. The previous government did not keep its promise to the farmers in ten years. Our government is fulfilling the promise to the farmers within eight months after coming to power in the state. People are debating the Rythu Bharosa scheme. Discussions are taking place that the scheme benefit was also extended to rich people, lands which come under the realty sector , hills, roads etc,” he added.

The chief minister added that the government constituted a Cabinet Sub-Committee to implement the Rythu Bharosa in a transparent manner.

The cabinet sub- committee is headed by Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka and Ministers T Nageshwara Rao , D Sridhar Babu and P Srinivas Reddy will be the members of the sub-Committee. The Cabinet sub-committee will submit a report to the government by July 15.

Government will table the report in the Legislative Assembly and implement Rythu Bharosa transparently by seeking everyone's suggestions.

Ministers - Sridhar Babu and P Srinivas Reddy will take the responsibility of briefing the cabinet decisions and other administrative matters of the government to the media regularly, he added.

"No need for doubts on the implementation of the farm loan waiver scheme . Modalities and guidelines for loan waiver scheme will be declared through the Government Order, "he said.