HYDERABAD: In the wake of wide criticism by opposition parties over crop loan waiver issue, agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy on Thursday clarified that his government would stand by its commitment to waive loans up to `1 lakh to farmers.
Speaking to reporters in the Assembly lobbies, the agriculture minister said that his government was committed to implement all poll promises, including `1 lakh crop loan waiver, which was incorporated in the TRS election manifesto.
‘’There is no need to get agitated. We would see that all the eligible farmers get benefit of the crop loan waiver scheme. We are committed to the welfare of farmers of the state,’’ he asserted.
However, he clarified that the government would not entertain gold and others loans. ‘’We have promised to waive only crop loans up to `1 lakh and we stand by it. As gold loans do not come under crop loans such loans would not be waived,’’ he clarified.
There would be no question of going back on poll promises of the TRS. All the poll promises made by the TRS in its elections manifesto would be implemented by his government, he assured.
Coming down heavily on the opposition parties for making crop loans an issue, the senior TRS leader alleged that the opposition parties for the sake of political gain were trying to mislead the farmers on the issue of crop loans.
‘’We never told that we would waive all types of farm loans but the opposition leaders were misleading the farmers by telling them that the government will waive all their loans,’’ he alleged.
Criticising TDP leaders for targeting the state government on the issue of crop loans, he said that his government would waive crop loans much before the Andhra Pradesh government headed by TDP chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu. ‘’Andhra Pradesh state’s financial position is very bad and they have to depend upon Central assistance to fulfil their poll promises, whereas Telangana is in position to implement all its promises on its own,’’ he claimed.