Haryana: Khattar waives interest on co-op bank crop loans

Ahead of the Assembly elections due next month, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday announced waiving interest and penalty on crop loans of farmers from cooperative banks — to the tune of Rs 4,750 crore — under the one-time settlement scheme. “This decision would benefit about 10 lakh farmers in the state,” he said.

Khattar, speaking in Bhiwani on Monday, said, “Those farmers whose bank accounts were declared Non Performing Assets (NPA) and were unable to renew their loans, would now be able to change cycle of their crop loan accounts.” He said that the farmers would have to deposit their principal amount only.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Kisan Union spokesperson Rakesh Bains termed the move as insufficient. “The entire farm loan should be waived off,” he demanded.