Kothagudem: Rythu sangham seeks measures to protect farmers from debt trap

The activists of Telangana Rashtra Rythu Sangham (AIKS) leaders Ch Narendra Kumar and M Viswanatham said Congress party during Assembly elections announced that crop loans up to Rs 2 lakh of all the farmers would be waived but after coming to power many restrictions were imposed in its implementation.

Kothagudem: The activists of Telangana Rashtra Rythu Sangham (AIKS) staged a protest at the collectorate here on Wednesday demanding unconditional waiver of Rs 2 lakh crop loan.

The  sangham leaders Ch Narendra Kumar and M Viswanatham said Congress party during Assembly elections announced that crop loans up to Rs 2 lakh of all the farmers would be waived but after coming to power many restrictions were imposed in its implementation.

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The conditions that the loan waiver scheme would not be applicable to farmers who do not have pattadar pass books and considering ration cards for family verification were strange. Endowment Amba Satram lands and Jangusipai lands were cultivated by farmers for the past 50 and 60 years in the agency area in the district.

Even though pattadar passbooks were not granted for many such lands the banks had given loans on the basis of Pahani nakal. Now thousands of farmers were made ineligible for loan waiver as the government ruled that loans could not be waived without Pattadar pass book, the leaders complained.

Nearly 60 percent farmers were waiting for the loan waiver as the vanakalam season was coming to an end. The government should take immediate steps to waive Rs 2 lakh crop of all eligible farmers to protect them from falling into debt trap, they added.