RAICHUR/KOPPAL: Even as no guidelines forwarded to the banks on loan waiver announced in this budget, the pending loan dues of waiver implemented during previous Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah led government has not yet reached the cooperative bank.
According to the data provided by the Raichur District Central Cooperative Bank (RDCC) whose operational ambit is Koppal and Raichur, Rs 41.81 crores of loan dues of farmers are pending with the government of Karnataka. The data also mentions the loans of 11,961 farmers pertaining to May and June month not being credited to the bank. This also means the bank has also not issued 'no due certificates' to these farmers.
This event has troubled the farmers more as they were also battered by the drought-like situation prevailing in the district. In Raichur cluster of villages alone over 6,500 hectares Kharif crops have been harrowed and the farmers are readying the lands for the upcoming Rabi season. The farmers, this Monsoon, due to below normal rainfall has suffered total crop loss in rainfed areas.
In Devasugur too, which comes under Raichur taluk, over 7000 hectares harrowed. This is an indicator of the agriculture crisis in the district. An official in the RDCC bank said "there are 203 cooperative societies in Koppal and Raichur district. The total loan waiver size was 263.70 crores. The government has paid RS 221.9 crores so far."
Nalla Reddy, a farmer who had borrowed RS 70,000 loan from the cooperative society said he has completed the loan and he is expecting RS 50,000 (waived amount) to be credited to his account. This season, he said, over RS 2 lakh crop loss is estimated and government' apathy in paying the amount has troubled him a lot. According to the bank officials, farmers are frequently visiting banks to apply for a fresh loan. But loans cannot be issued due to earlier pendency.