Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. (Express Photo)
Months before the state goes to polls, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje launched a Rs 8,500 crore farm loan waiver scheme on Thursday.
Terming the day as “historic”, Raje said that her government is the first in Rajasthan which is waiving loans of up to Rs 50,000, while two central governments had waived loans of up to Rs 10,000.
In a ceremony in Banswara, Raje gave out loan waiver letters to farmers and handed out an additional Rs 50,000 each as new loans.
Raje said pending interest and penalty on overdue loan for borrowings by small and marginal farmers till September 30, 2017 was waived earlier. This is now being followed by a waiver of up to Rs 50,000 of the remaining loan.
She said the state is progressing towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aim of doubling farmers’ income. “For the first time, we have purchased crops worth Rs 8,900 crore at support price. By the end of this year, we would have given interest free farm loans worth up to Rs 80,000 crore, which would be the highest in the country,” she said.
She also said that the state is setting up a farm loan relief commission, where debt-ridden farmers can put forth their claims.