HYDERABAD: Strongly responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s allegation that the Telangana government failed to keep its crop loan waiver promise, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday described the Congress’ guarantee as a ‘golden guarantee’.
It may be recalled that during a public meeting in Maharashtra on Saturday, the prime minister said: “The Congress government in Telangana has promised a crop loan waiver, but even after coming to power, they are keeping farmers waiting for its implementation. These parties are used to making false promises before elections.”
The chief minister, in a letter to Modi, said that he was “pained and astonished” by the statement. Revanth elaborated on the loan amounts disbursed in the state and sought the prime minister’s “cooperation and guidance” to “promote farmers’ welfare in Telangana”.
“The Congress government in Telangana has striven to fulfil its promise and has successfully implemented the crop loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh for 22,22,067 farmers, and a total amount of Rs 17,869.22 crore has been disbursed. This was achieved in just 27 days. This initiative, which reflects our government’s strong commitment to the agrarian community, aims to alleviate the financial burden on farmers and ensure that they are empowered to continue contributing to the state’s agricultural productivity without the pressure of debt. We believe this will not only strengthen our state’s economy but also boost the morale of the farming community across Telangana.”
Further, the CM pointed out that there are farmers whose outstanding loan amount exceeds Rs 2 lakh.
Revanth Reddy reiterated that once they repay the amount of the loan exceeding Rs 2 lakh, the government will disburse Rs 2 lakh to them. “We are committed to fulfilling this promise of making our hardworking farmers debt free in a time-bound manner.
The government has already planned for a budget of Rs 26,000 crore for this scheme this year and is prepared to invest up to Rs 31,000 crore to ensure that the crop loan waiver of every eligible farmer in the state is addressed comprehensively,” he said.
The chief minister wrote: “Let us strive together to bolster the confidence of the farming community, instead of undermining their self-confidence. We seek your continued support for the farmers of Telangana and the state as a whole in our efforts to alleviate the financial burden on our agrarian community. Your guidance and assistance will be invaluable in ensuring that the welfare of our farmers remains a priority and that our state continues on its path of agricultural growth and prosperity.”