Karnataka has so far released ₹616 crore to 1.1 lakh accounts under its farm loan waiver scheme.
Munish Moudgil, Karnataka Commissioner, Survey and Settlements and Land Records, said, “The sixth list of beneficiaries was released after developing a dedicated software and fixing the glitch in identifying the beneficiaries. The sixth list benefits 50,200 farmers to the tune of ₹266.2 crore.”
Delay in payments
Loan waiver payments have been speeded up after the State government drew flak for the slow pace. There was some delay in releasing funds as farmers had taken loans from different sources (cooperative banks, public sector banks and private banks) and a software had to be developed to identify genuine beneficiaries.
Taking advantage of the delay caused, Prime Minister Narendra Modi taunted the Karnataka government and accused the Congress of misleading farmers on loan waiver promises and said that they are offering lollipops.
CM joins issue
Chief Minister HD Kumarawamy, said in response, “Farmers’ crop loan waiver is a commitment of our coalition government made to the farmers of the State to safeguard their interest.”
He added, “The process has already begun and made significant payments, despite that it is very sad that he sees it as a ‘cruel joke on farmers’, misleading the people of the nation without obtaining the full facts about the scheme.”
He recalled that the Centre had not responded to the protests of distressed farmers in Delhi, but is now mocking the State government’s efforts to bail out the distressed farmers.
The Karnataka government is handling honest taxpayers’ money with caution to reach deserving farmers. It has ensured that every genuine farmer gets the benefit, he said, and added that middlemen, particularly in the co-operative sector, are weeded out.