‘BJP will waive farm loans if voted to power’

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday slammed the State Government for not providing promised bonus of Rs 100  per quintal of procured paddy to famers and for remaining silent over waiver of farm loan. Pradhan said all farm loans would be waived if the BJP is voted to power in the State in 2019.

Addressing a meeting of the BJP Krushak Morcha here, Pradhan asked Morcha activists to go to households and inform farmers how the State Government has betrayed them by not giving bonus of Rs 100 per quintal of procured paddy and not waiving farm loans.

The Minister said Chhattisgarh Government is providing bonus to farmers and BJP Governments in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have waived farm loans. The Narendra Modi Government has already implemented its promises made to farmers, he claimed. He said a Bill would soon be presented in the Parliament to ensure loans for farmers and sharecroppers across the country. 

Pradhan further added that small and marginal farmers would get loans for undertaking farming activities once the proposed Bill is passed.

He said the Modi Government has already increased the paddy MSP to one-and-a-half times over the cost of production.

The paddy MSP has now been fixed at Rs 1750 per quintal on the basis of cost of production of Rs 1,166 as studied by the CACP.

The Minister too slammed the Congress for not increasing paddy MSP when it was in power from 2004 to 2014.