Plea to extend crop loan waiver scheme

The Tamilnadu Vivasayigal Sangam has demanded that the crop loans re-structured during 2017 also be covered under the ₹12,110 crore waiver scheme announced by the Chief Minister Edappadi K.Palanisamy under Rule 110 on the floor of the State Legislative Assembly recently.

In a press release, its State deputy secretary P.S.Masilamani expressed resentment over the circular issued on February 9 to cooperative institutions stating that the crop loans re-structured in view of the crop loss suffered by the farmers due to drought would not be considered for the waiver under the present scheme.

The government re-structured crop in 2017 overlooking the demand for waiver of crop loan; it was unfair to exclude those outstanding loans from the ambit of the present waiver scheme though the crop loss suffered by the farmers in 2017 was compensated to some extent by the government. It should prevail upon the Union government to get the overdue crop loans in the scheduled commercial banks waived.

Meanwhile, the Thanjavur District Cauvery Farmers Protection Association urged the government to appreciate those farmers who had repaid the dues. It urged the government to withdraw the appeal petition filed in the Apex Court refusing to extend the crop loan waiver scheme benefit to medium and large farmers who have taken such loans in the year 2016.