Farmer leader seeks loan waiver, bonus on wheat

JAIPUR: Taking up the demands of the state’s farmers with home minister Gulab Chand Kataria and other ministers in the Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday, All India Kisan Sabha leader and former MLA Amra Ram said the government must implement farm loan waiver. He also sought that recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission be implemented. He called on the government to buy rabi crops on time and offer a bonus of Rs200 per quintal on wheat.
Amra Ram also impressed on members that the state government had decided to study the loan waiver offered in Kerala – the Left government in Kerala had also made constitutional provision for a committee to guide it on loan waiver in 2006. Nothing similar exists in Rajasthan, and the committee that is now formed for the purpose will achieve little besides waste time, he said.

To ensure that farmers whose loans are once waived do not fall into a debt trap again, the state government must ensure that recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission are implemented, Amra Ram said. There should be constitutionally approved provision for dealing with the debt of farmers, livestock herders, fishermen and dairy farmers, he said.

He said the farmers’ agitation continues – farmers are getting ready a memorandum to hand over to prime minister Narendra Modi when he arrives in Jhunjhunu on March 8. The chief minister and ministers will also be barred from entering villages, he said.