Loan waiver process replete with hassles for farmers

The delay in the implementation of the loan waiver scheme has left many farmers in a state of uncertainty, impacting their financial stability and ability to secure new loans.

Hyderabad: A small farmer from Vasalamarri village in Turkapally mandal is facing a prolonged wait for the crop loan waiver promised by the State government. With an outstanding crop loan of Rs.75,600, he qualifies for a total waiver under the debt relief terms announced by the government. Despite this, his loan status remains unchanged after three rounds of waivers.

This year, the farmer did not receive the Rythu Bandhu assistance and hence he was ineligible for fresh loan disbursement. He has been making rounds to the State Bank of India (SBI) in Turkapalli and the office of the Agriculture Officer. Initially, he was asked to submit his Aadhaar details and later to complete the family grouping process. Despite fulfilling all formalities over 15 days ago, he has yet to see any progress.

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The agriculture officer has expressed helplessness, advising the farmer to wait for further communication regarding the status of such cases. Over 3,000 farmers in the Vasalamarri village cluster, which includes three nearby villages, are in a similar predicament, waiting for their loans to be waived.

Vasalamarri was once a priority village for all purposes as it was adopted by the then Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao. Now the village sees less than 25% of its farmers benefiting from the loan waiver. The uncertainty surrounding the fate of the remaining farmers looms large, casting a shadow over their financial stability and future.

The situation highlights the status of loan waiver in the State. In the erstwhile Nalgonda district, over 94,000 farmers who have complied with the family grouping process are still waiting for the promised loan waiver. This includes 20,679 farmers from Yadadri Bhongir district, 44,095 farmers in Nalgonda district, and 29,589 farmers in Suryapet district.

Despite completing the necessary formalities, a significant number of these farmers remain uncertain about the waiver. Specifically, 13,732 farmers in Yadadri Bhongir, 17,582 in Suryapet, and 23,109 in Nalgonda district are still awaiting consideration for the loan waiver even after completing the family grouping formality.

The delay in the implementation of the loan waiver scheme has left many farmers in a state of uncertainty, impacting their financial stability and ability to secure new loans.