Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has said that he will announce farmer-friendly initiatives in the upcoming State budget.
Speaking to presspersons here on Sunday, Mr. Yediyurappa said that the State government was contemplating announcing a scheme to waive the interest amount on farm loans taken from the PLD and DCC banks and the cooperative societies.
He said that a larger number of farmers were caught in the debt trap as they were unable to pay interest on loans taken. Waving interest amount on their loans would give them some relief. This would cause a financial burden of ₹ 400 core on the Exchequer. This apart, the government was mulling over providing some concession to farmers who repaid loan amount before March 31, 2020. In all, the upcoming budget to be presented on March 5 would be farmer-friendly, he said.
To a query on Mahadayi issue, Mr. Yediyurappa said that the government was taking all steps to resolve the issue at the earliest and he had held discussions with the Advocate General regarding filing an appeal in the Supreme Court. This apart, money would be allocated for the Mahadayi project in the upcoming budget. He said that there was no proposal before the government to announce the formation of a new district. To another query, he said that the newly-inducted Ministers would be allocated portfolios on Monday.
Earlier, Mr. Yediyurappa was given a guard of honour upon him arriving in the district. Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karajol, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Minister Jagadish Shettar, Deputy Commissioner M. Deepa, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer B.C. Satish, Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner R. Dileep and others received the Chief Minister.
