Crop Loan Waiver: Farmers across Telangana on tenterhooks as wait gets longer

At Kodangal, the Chief Minister’s constituency, the number of farmers who lost out on the waiver far outnumbers those who got it.

Hyderabad: Farmers across the State are increasingly growing restless with their wait for the crop loan waiver getting longer each day, even as Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and his Cabinet Ministers come out with each one’s own versions on the waiver. This is when the situation in the constituencies of most of the Ministers too has a majority of farmers left wondering why they were left out of the list of waiver beneficiaries.

At Kodangal, the Chief Minister’s constituency, the number of farmers who lost out on the waiver far outnumbers those who got it. The constituency comes under Vikarabad district limits and farmers in Kodangal, Bomraspet, Doultabad and Dudyala mandals had obtained loans from different banks. As per official records, 52,305 farmers took loans but loans of only 18,407 farmers were waived. As many as 33,898 farmers were still waiting for their loans to be cleared. The agriculture offices and banks are teeming with farmers, who are running from pillar to post to check their loans status and get them waived.

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Similar complaints are being raised by farmers in Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy’s native village of Tatipamula village under Tirumalagiri mandal in Suryapet district. From 992 farmers who had availed crop loans, only 537 got the waiver in the three phases put together. Likewise, at Brahmanapalem village under Narketpally too, the native village of Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, the situation is no different. As per agriculture department estimates, 925 farmers had secured crop loans from different banks in Narketpally and Chityala mandals. Of these, loans of 433 farmers were waived in the three phases.

Farmers in Mylardevpally under Vikarabad constituency represented by Speaker G Prasad Kumar, had staged protests at the Agriculture office. There are nearly 600 farmers, who had secured loans in Mylardevpally and of these loans of 180 farmers were waived, leaving the others fuming. Interestingly, the agriculture department had deposited Rs.1,50,863 into the Speaker’s bank account under the crop loan waiver scheme. When the issue was reported in the media, Vikarabad district Agriculture Officer Gopal in a statement admitted that due to a technical error, the amount was deposited in the Speaker’s bank account. The Speaker returned the amount through the same bank, according to reports.