The Telangana unit of the Telugu Desam Party has demanded that the State Government take steps to repay the dues on purchase of foodgrains to farmers with immediate effect along with interest.
The TDP-TS lamented that though the Government had announced its commitment to pay the amounts due to farmers within 48 hours, steps had not been initiated in this direction almost two months after the produce was purchased from farmers. The party wanted the Government to convene the meeting of the State Level Bankers Committee at the earliest to finalise the quantum of crop loans to the farm sector and ensure that loans were distributed to farmers.
Open letter
Steps should be initiated to deposit the fourth instalment of loan waiver in the farmers’ accounts along with interest besides relaxation of rules for grant of loans to tenant farmers too. TDP-TS working president A. Revanth Reddy, in an open letter to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, expressed concern that the Government’s failure to deposit the fourth instalment of loan waiver hit the farmers hard as banks were not willing to grant them fresh loans. Amplifying the farmers’ plight was the non-release of ₹206 crore due towards the interest component on the loans obtained by farmers.
“It is unfortunate that the Chief Minister or the Agriculture Minister is finding no time to check why the amounts released by the Government are yet to reach the farmers’ accounts,” he said.
It was practice for the previous Governments to finalise the quantum of farm loans provided by banks ahead of the commencement of the crop season, but the current dispensation had not taken steps to convene the meeting of the SLBC even after the commencement of kharif.