The State government has chalked out plans to issue Loan Eligibility Cards (LECs) to 8.58 lakh farmers this year. It could however issue only 5,970 cards till end of April.
Except Krishna and Anantapur districts, the process is yet to begin in other districts. In the two districts, 5,970 cards were issued. And, as the Kharif season begins in a month, the tenant farmers are anxiously waiting for the government to hasten the process. According to information, the government has set a target of 3.80 lakh cards this year. The grama sabhas were conducted in only 2,884 villages, while there are 16,924 villages in the State.
Renewal of cards
During the State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) meeting held on April 11, it was decided to issue the LECs as per eligibility by May 31. If the set ambitious target of issuing 8,58,028 LECs were to be considered, only 0.70% of the target had been achieved, sources say.
The government has chalked out plans to renew 4.77 lakh LECs this year. But only 4,220 were renewed and that too only Krishna and Anantapur districts. Same is the case with the fresh LECs. Likewise, the issuance of fresh LECs has been dwindling since 2014-15. The government issued 2.12 lakh fresh LECs in 2014-15, while it came down to 2.11 lakh in its following year. The number plummeted to 1.95 lakh in 2016-17. On the other hand, the renewal or replacement of LECs increased to 4.09 lakh cards in 2016-17 from 1.88 lakh LECs in 2014-15. This year, the government proposes to renew 4.77 lakh cards. The number of LECs touched 6.05 lakh in 2016-17 from 4 lakh in 2014-15.
Opposition from
land owners
Notwithstanding the rise in the LECs, the farmers associations feel that a major chunk of tenant farmers still has not been getting the LECs. In fact, there has been increasing opposition from land owners to the issue of LECs. The owners fear that the tenants might misuse the card and claim right over the leased land. The tenant farmers have been the victims of government’s neglect. The land owners are getting benefits from the government while the tenant farmers are being deprived of compensation for crop loss, they say. Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham leader Y. Kesava Rao says the government’s approach in issuing the LECs is lopsided.
