Friendly budget in store for farmers in Karnataka

BENGALURU: In a bid to woo the farming community ahead of the pre-election budget in February,  Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy met farmers’ representatives on Friday. The meeting was aimed at receiving inputs on what the farmers expect from his February 8 budget.

Almost a year after the government announced an “expensive” farm loan waiver, farmers have made no secret of their disappointment with the delay in its implementation.

The pre-budget meeting was aimed at pacifying farmer leaders as well as assuring them that Kumaraswamy would once again present a pro-farmer budget. “Like the farm loan waiver last year, the CM intends to bring many pro-farmer schemes this time too. It will be a pro-farmer budget,” said Cooperation Minister Bandeppa Kashempur.

Farmers’ representatives submitted a memorandum of demands, including subsidised registration fees for farming equipment, additional MSP for crops, help with reducing operational costs of farming, implementation of the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission report as well as a faster implementation of the already announced farm loan waiver with larger inclusion of farmers. “Registration fees for harvesting machinesas of today is 1 lakh in Karnataka ... but in Maharashtra, it is just 6,000. Chief Minister will take a call on this,” Kashempur further said.  

Meanwhile, even as the government insists that lakhs of farmers are already benefitting from the farm loan waiver, banks’ reluctance to release fresh loans in the face of uncertainty is putting the farmers in a spot. The issue of delayed repayment stalling fresh loans became the talking point in Friday’s discussion.

“No banks are giving us new loans for the last 5-6 months. Banks are caught up with the waiver clearance confusion and are unable to process new loans. Those with existing loans will also get renewal only after banks receive the payment from the government,” said Mallikarjun Swamy, president, Raitha Sangha, Bidar. He insisted that the government’s ordinance that absolves small borrowers from any loans taken from private money lenders will only lead to more difficulties. “People who lend us loans will abruptly stop if the ordinance comes into being. Instead of stalling those who help us at times of need, the government should just bring a law that punishes lenders who harass farmers,” he said.

State budget on Feb 8  

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy will present his second annual budget of the coalition government at 12.30 pm on February 8. Governor Vajubhai Vala will address the joint session of the Karnataka Legislature on February 6 at 11 am, according to the provisional programme issued by the Legislative Secretary. The first Legislature session of 2019 will have eight working days between February 6 and 15.