Mismatch of names: Farmers’ loans yet to be waived

Eligible farmers in Kodagu are yet to reap the benefits of loan waiver announced by the Congress-JD(S) coalition government.

Owing to confusion in matching names, around 4,000 farmers could not benefit from the loan waiver scheme. The names of farmers from Kodava, Arebhashe, Muslim and other community do not match, for the people to avail of the benefit. In spite of beneficiaries claiming to be genuine, the loan waiver scheme is yet to reach them.

As many as 111 farmers from the Kedamullooru Agriculture Credit Cooperative Society in Virajpet have not benefited from the scheme.

This is, however, not the story of one cooperative society alone. Most of the cooperative societies are facing problems in availing the loan waiver scheme.

The names of the beneficiaries vary in the Aadhaar, RTC and ration cards. As a result, Bhoomi software is not considering them as ‘genuine beneficiaries’.

The name of a farmer in the Aadhaar card is written as Biddanda Changappa while in the ration card, it is mentioned as B M Changappa. Although, even under the loan waiver scheme, his name his mentioned as B M Changappa, the Bhoomi software is not able to match the name with the documents of the Aadhaar and ration cards, said an executive officer of a cooperative society.

Tahsildar has already written to the state government on the problems faced by the farmers owing to the mismatch in the names. Owing to by-election, the order has not been issued in this regard, said an officer, who did not wish to disclose his name.

About 80% of the farmers in Kodagu have benefited from loan waiver scheme. A sum of Rs 58 crore, borrowed by 7,500 farmers, is yet to be waived in the district, said the Kodagu DCC Bank officer.

A sum of Rs 198 crore loan borrowed by 25,000 farmers has been waived off so far.

According to officials, the loan borrowed by income tax payers, farmers who are availing pension, government employees, those possessing two ration cards can not claim the benefit of loan waiver scheme. Such people too have applied under loan waiver scheme. Of 7,500 farmers, as many as 3,000 are likely to become ineligible to claim the loan waiver facility.