Farm loan waiver: Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy seeks 15 days time, to announce his plans

BENGALURU: Under pressure to fulfill his pre-poll promise of Rs 53,000 crore farm loan waiver, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday sought 15 days time from farmers to announce government's proposal on waiver of farm loans. Reiterating his commitment, the CM said the government will waive all farm loans without an upper limit in two phases. He asked farmers to submit their loan details to deputy commissioners, who will be appointed as nodal officers.

Addressing farmers' representatives, who were invited for a meeting at Vidhana Soudha to discuss and give suggestions on the issue, the CM said, in the first phase the government would waive crop loans taken from April 1, 2009 to December 31, 2017. "We are not fixing any limit on that," the CM announced.

In the first phase, the details of which will be announced in next 15 days, loans taken from all cooperatives and nationalised banks outside city corporation limits will be waived. Remaining loans will be cleared in the second phase. In next two-three days, the CM and Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara will hold a meeting with top executives of nationalised banks to discuss modalities.

"In next two-three days, the process of cabinet formation will be over and after that we will also discuss farm loan waiver issue with Congress President Rahul Gandhi and announce it," the CM said and sought suggestions, if any, from farmers.

Deputy CM G Parameshwara said the Congress too his committed to help farmers and the party is not against farm loan waiver.