Only 11% debt-ridden farmers get max farm loan waiver
LUCKNOW : Despite the hype over the farm loan waiver scheme under which BJP government promised to waive farm loans of up to Rs 1 lakh, the number of farmers getting the maximum benefit has been just 11% of the total targeted beneficiaries. Records show that just 10 lakh of the total targeted 86 lakh debt-ridden farmers in the state could get the maximum benefit of Rs 1 lakh as envisaged under the scheme that was launched to fulfil BJP’s key poll promise. According to the data of state agriculture department, over 66 lakh farmers registered under the scheme till date and around 36 lakh farmers got loan waiver, out of which just one-fourth could get maximum loan waiver of Rs 1lakh. The data further reveals that the scheme benefited only 2.5 lakh farmers in the parched and economically backward Bundelkhand region, which has often been in news for suicides by debtridden farmers.Officials in agriculture department said that priority was given to farmers whose loans had not been categorised as non-performing asset (NPA) by banks till March 31, 2016. “The scheme essentially aimed to cover only loans taken for cropping purpose like seeds, fertilizers and insecticides. One should not confuse them with loans for farm equipment and tractors,” said a senior official of agriculture department. “Moreover, the loans taken by farmers were put under severe scrutiny while making Aadhar card registration mandatory,” he said. The government had made a budgetary provision of Rs 36,000 crores for the scheme in its July 2017 budget but records show that less than Rs 21,000 crores have been disbursed till date even as government has set March 10 deadline for farmers to get themselves registered for loan waiver. The disclosure has given fresh ammunition to opposition to take on ruling BJP. SP MLC, Anand Bhadauria, who had recently raised the issue in legislative council, said that the government has only cheated poor and gullible farmers in the name of farm loan waiver. “A lot of genuine farmers are waiting to get benefit under the scheme. But the state government is ignoring them,” he said.The Goa government is ready to stand guarantee if banks come up with a proper loan scheme for farmers in the state, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said today. Addressing a function organised by the NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development), the chief minister said his government is ready to provide the “back up support” to banks if they draft a loan scheme for farmers. Parrikar also asked the apex development financial institution in the country to ensure that banks draft loan schemes catering to Goa-based farmers. “If banks come up with a proper loan scheme for farmers, the state government can deposit up to 15 per cent of the loan amount in banks as a guarantee,” Parrikar said. He said the state government had issued Kisan cards–a credit delivery mechanism that is aimed at enabling farmers to have quick and timely access to affordable–to all the farmers including those who do not own any land.
“Due to the Kisan Card, readymade data of each farmer on cultivation is available. This data can be used as a base for deciding his upper limit for loan,” the chief minister said. Parrikar proposed three slabs to fix the lending limit for farmers, with the upper threshold at Rs 50,000. “The state government can also deposit money in loan accounts of farmers so that financial institutions need not worry about the recovery of the loaned amount,” he said. Parrikar said the contribution of agriculture to GDP has been increased under the BJP rule from minus grading during the fiscal 2011-12 to four per cent. “It is projected to be six per cent in the years to come,” he said.
Parrikar said the agricultural growth in Goa has been facing some “impediments” due to several factors that are beyond the government’s control. “The farmers in the coastal regulation zone are facing difficulties as they need the permission from authorities to do anything, except sowing of seeds,” he said, adding that despite difficulties, farmers are doing their best in Goa. Goa has 13,000 hectares of fallow land, of which even 10,000 hectares is brought under cultivation, the agriculture output can be increased by 50 per cent, Parrikar said.
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