The Left Democratic Front government appears to have lost the political advantage it sought through its decision on a moratorium on recovery of bank loans taken by farmers and other assistance to the agriculture sector owing to the lack of coordination between various departments involved in the implementation of the Cabinet decision.
The consequent delay in issuing the relevant orders has ended in a controversy because the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabah election had come into force by then.
A special Cabinet was convened on March 5 at the behest of the Agriculture Department in the context of reports of increasing numbers of farmer suicide because of the failure of the government in extending timely assistance in the aftermath of the August floods that left the agriculture sector reeling.
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala’s announcement that he would hold a one-day hunger stir at Kattapana the next day also prompted the government to take a decision.
Cabinet decision
The Cabinet took several decisions concerning relief to the farmers, including extending the moratorium date till December 31, increasing the compensation amounts being disbursed by the Agriculture Debt Relief Commission, insurance payout and assistance from the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund for continuing cultivation. The responsibility of implementing these decisions rested on the Revenue, Agriculture, Planning and Economic Affairs and Fisheries departments.
According to the rules of business, the departments concerned are required to issue orders within 48 hours of a Cabinet decision. Since the file for farm relief had originated from the Agriculture Department, the Cabinet decisions were sent there. The department did issue the orders within 48 hours, but overstepped its brief by including the steps to be taken by the other departments.
Violation of rules
According to government sources, such an action amounted to violation of rules of business, under which the Agriculture Department is authorised to issue orders only on issues pertaining to it. The lapse was pointed out and the relevant files were later sent to the respective departments on March 8.
The other departments could not process the file since March 8 happened to be a second Saturday. The Election Commission announced the general elections on Sunday, bringing into play the model code of conduct.
With the utility of the moratorium coming under the scanner, the procedure lapses have put the Agriculture Department on the back foot.