The farm loan waiver, announced by the Congress government in Rajasthan shortly after it came to power in December last year, was rolled out on Thursday through special camps organised in all the 33 districts of the State. About 40,000 farmers are set to benefit in the first phase, which will cover the loans obtained from the cooperative banks.
Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot inaugurated a camp at Sirsi village, near here, and distributed the loan waiver certificates to the farmers. While accusing the previous BJP regime of neglecting the interests of farmers, Mr. Pilot said the Congress was committed to fulfilling the promises made in its election manifesto. “The decision of loan waiver was taken within two days of the government's formation,” he said.
The entire short-term loans taken by small and medium farmers from cooperative and land development banks and the debts up to ₹2 lakh due on November 30, 2018, for the defaulter farmers will be waived in the scheme’s first phase. The camps will be held for three days till Saturday.
Cooperative Minister Udai Lal Anjana, who attended two camps in Chittorgarh and Rajsamand districts, said the lists of eligible farmers had been displayed at the notice boards of village cooperative societies. He said the grievance committees had been formed in the villages to deal with the instances of non-inclusion of farmers or wrong calculation of the amount of loans.
66 camps on Friday
Registrar of Cooperative Societies Niraj K. Pawan said as many as 66 loan waiver camps — two in each district — would be organised in the village cooperative societies across the State on Friday. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will distribute certificates at a camp in Sanchore town of Jalore district.