Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday announced to the Assembly that the loan waiver for farmers in the present tenure of the government was estimated to cost ₹24,000 crore as against ₹17,000 crore in the previous term.

In his reply to the motion of thanks to Governor’s address, Mr. Rao assured that the TRS election promise to waive farm loans up to ₹One lakh would be implemented. “Whether it will be in one, two or three instalments has to be worked out. Give us some time.” The scheme would include gold and all other types of loans taken for agricultural purpose.

Food processing units

Mr. Rao also said plans were on the anvil to regularise 45,000 women of Indira Kranthi Patham, who were involved in procurement of rice from farmers. The regularisation is to entrust them with the responsibility of running two or three food processing units in every mandal. The units would process agricultural produce locally to ensure better price for farmers. The idea was borrowed from the success story of ‘Lijjat Papad’.

He also promised that banks would be asked to extend loans to farmers on the basis of information about their land-holdings furnished on Dharani website, which would be operational shortly. The banks would not be allowed to hold the pattadar passbooks of farmers any more. Every inch of land would be recorded on the website.

Mr. Rao took a dig at Congress for “stereotype” criticism of the government following the Governor’s address.

He praised former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s initiative on Aarogyasri, an health insurance for poor, and said that the TRS government did not discontinue the scheme as it was benefited many. It was precisely for this reason that the State government did not join Ayushman Bharat programme of the Centre.