Minister for Large and Medium Industries and district in charge Jagadish Shettar has called on the bank officials to respond to the sufferings of the farmers by ensuring transparency in crediting the benefits to the farmers’ bank accounts directly.
Chairing a review meeting on crop insurance and crop loss here on Saturday, Mr. Shettar asked the officials to take all steps to avoid middlemen in the whole process and also asked them not to deduct the benefits from the farmers’ account without their knowledge.
The Minister asked them to sensitise the farmers on the benefits available to them from the government and also not to adjust the funds released from the government to their loan accounts. The Minister also asked the bankers not to pressure farmers for repayment of loans as the farmers had incurred complete crop loss owing to floods this year.
Mr. Shettar asked the bankers not to issue notice to the farmers on loan repayment. Instead take steps to inform them informally through individual visits, he said.
Shankar Patil Munenakoppa, Navalgund MLA, stressed the need for availability of officials from insurance companies at offices of district and taluk-level offices of the Department of Agriculture so that the farmers could get their doubts clarified with them.
Joint Director of Agriculture Abid S.S. informed the meeting that already ₹11.15 crore from the State government had been credited to the accounts of 55,799 beneficiaries and ₹29.45 crore from the Centre to 1,45,726 beneficiaries.
District Lead Bank Manager Ishwarnath informed the meeting that bankers had been directed not to adjust the wages from MNREGA, compensation from crop insurance and flood relief towards the loan accounts.
