Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday said the Debt Redemption Scheme would provide succour to 33 lakh farmers in the State, a national record as no other government dared to take such a decision.
Addressing a huge gathering of farmers after formally launching the scheme at the Rythu Sadhikarikatha Sadassu at PVKN Government Degree College here, Mr. Naidu said the scheme showed his government’s commitment to the welfare of the farmers. He gave away mega cheques to the tune of Rs. 349.27 crore to the farmers marking the event. The launch assumed significance as Mr. Naidu chose his home district Chittoor to fulfil his election promise on waiver of crop loans. “This is only the beginning. All farmers should live with self-respect and keep their heads high,” he said.
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Mr. Naidu said that it was only during TDP rule that farmers got lot of benefits. “It was NT Rama Rao, who injected life into the agriculture sector. Our government has once again created a record by bailing out the farmers from debt trap.”
He said that the scale of finance rule was made applicable only to farmers whose debts had crossed over Rs. 50,000, with period covering since 2007. In order to bail out the farmers under horticulture, a decision was taken to give Rs. 10,000 an acre. He elaborated on the difficulties faced by his government to realise the Debt Redemption Scheme.
Mr Naidu took a dig at the Congress and former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, saying that during the latter’s regime the agriculture sector turned bankrupt, leading to a spree of farmers' suicides. He ridiculed the election campaign of the YSR Congress that the loan waiver scheme was impractical.
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“Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not give assurance to farmers on this during the elections owing to the repercussions at the national level. The RBI had outright negated our proposal. Now, we made it a reality,” he said. Ministers Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy, Prathipati Pulla Rao, Chittoor MP N. Sivaprasad, Chittoor Mayor Anuradha were among those present.