TIRUCHY: Even as the indefinite sit-in protest by farmers owing allegiance to more than 45 associations across the state seeking 100% crop loan waiver at Samayapuram entered the third day on Thursday, the Cooperative Department in Tiruchy released data on waivers.
According to the data, the government has waived Rs 247.15 crore in crop loans availed by 50,779 farmers in Tiruchy district. However, farmers said the waiver hardly helped anyone, as only a small number of farmers with loans up to Rs 1 lakh actually benefited.
According to officials from the Cooperative Department in Tiruchy, more than one lakh farmers are members of 148 Primary Agriculture Cooperative Credit Societies functioning across the 14 blocks in the district. Of them, 50,779 farmers, including small, marginal and large farmers, were eligible for the loan waiver.
As per the announcement made by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, crop loans amounting to Rs 247.15 crore were waived for farmers under the three categories in Tiruchy district. Though the total amount waived was relatively high, the number of farmers who benefited was less, said Eesan Murugasamy, coordinator of the Tamil Nadu All Farmers’ Associations.
“If the TVK government had kept its election promise, large number of farmers could have benefited. Farmers who cultivate on larger areas also spend huge amounts on raising crops and should have been fully covered under the waiver,” he said.
The protesters on Thursday alleged that police also denied them permission to organise a ‘kanji thotti’ protest, in which gruel is cooked and served as a form of protest.
Easan, claimed that when they tried to prepare gruel, police prevented them from doing so and seized the vessels and rice brought to the venue. P Ayyakannu, president of the Desiya Thenninthiya Nathigal Inaippu Vivasayigal Sangam, said the protesters also refused food offered by some DMK functionaries on Thursday.