Loan waiver is a life-saving step by the State Government
20-May-2022
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The farmers narrated their stories to the Chief Minister
During the Bhent-Mulaqat Abhiyan, while taking feedback on government schemes in the remotest area of the state, Chief Minister Mr. Bhupesh Baghel also came across various people’s stories having mixed emotions of happiness and sorrow. A farmer came to the remote town of Aavapalli in the Bijapur district of the Bastar division and narrated his story with the watering eye of being helpless to free off from loan debt. He also told that he thought of committing suicide due to debt but the loan waiver scheme gave him a new life.
Mr. Afzal Khan, who came from Bhopalpatnam to attend the Jan Chaupal of Aavapalli, also narrated his story to Chief Minister Mr. Baghel that “the loan waiver scheme helped me out to take the second crop from my field otherwise I would have thought of doing suicide”. On being asked by Chief Minister Mr. Baghel, he said that he had a loan waiver of about Rs.8 lakh 36 thousand. Mr. Afzal Khan said that if a dam has been built on the nearby river Talperu, then it will benefit many other farmers like him.
Three and a half years ago, when the new government was formed in Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had fulfilled two big promises made to the farmers within two hours. One of these was the purchase of paddy for Rs.2500 per quintal and the other was complete freedom from old debt. Both these steps of the government proved to be giving a new life to farming in Chhattisgarh. The loans of about 19 lakh farmers worth Rs.9,270 crore were waived off. However, soon after, the central government objected to giving a bonus on paddy purchase, and then the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana, which gave input subsidy on crops to farmers was started in Chhattisgarh. Under this scheme, in the past two Kharif seasons, about 21 lakh farmers of the state have been given input assistance of Rs. 11,180 crore so far. Now the first instalment of about Rs.7 thousand crores of the third Kharif season has been announced to be released on 21st May on the occasion of the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Late Mr.Rajiv Gandhi.
