Many farmers from Mukhra (K) denied crop loan waiver

The beneficiaries of the scheme form barely 22 percent of the total farmers. Loans availed by 172 farmers were still to be waived off.

Adilabad: Playing a crucial role in their village, Mukhra (K), a model village that has won multiple national awards, has apparently not helped a majority of farmers in the village when it came to the crop loan waiver. The village in Echoda mandal had shot to fame by winning five national awards.

However, crop loans of only 49 out of 221 farmers in the village were waived off. The beneficiaries of the scheme form barely 22 percent of the total farmers. Loans availed by 172 farmers were still to be waived off. The farmers were clueless as to why they were denied the waiver.

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Following unrest among the farmers over this, village sarpanch Gadge Meenakshi met BRS working president KT Rama Rao and brought this issue to his notice in Hyderabad on Monday. She said a list of farmers who were not covered by the scheme was handed over to Rao. Loans of members belonging to a family were not waived if the loan amount crossed Rs 2 lakh, she said.

“For instance, a wife availed a loan of Rs 1.07 lakh crop loan, while her husband got a loan of Rs 1.10 lakh. The wife and husband were asked to pay Rs.17,000 to get the waiver. Officials are not unable to provide clarity over the issue. They said the loans would be waived off only when instructions were issued by the government,” she said, adding that 72 percent of farmers were benefited by the crop loan waiver during the BRS regime. However, now farmers were feeling duped by the government which had changed colours after winning the mandate of the public.

Gaikwad Maruthi, a farmer, said he had taken a loan of Rs 1.72 lakh from a bank but was denied the waiver. “Bank officials instructed me to pay an amount more than Rs 2 lakh to avail the scheme. We are forced to borrow money from private persons at exorbitant rates of interest,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nayini Anurag Reddy, an entrepreneur, slammed the State government for failing to extend the crop loan waiver to farmers from Mukhra (K). In a post on X, citing statistics, he said it was sad that the farmers from the village, which served as a beacon of inspiration by winning five national awards, could not get the waiver due to negligence of the Congress government