Hyderabad: The Telengana government on Thursday, July 18, released the first tranche of Rs 6,098 crore towards the waiver of farm loans up to Rs 1 lakh. Over 10.8 lakh farmers’ families are set to benefit from the first roll-out of scheme.
CM Revanth Reddy, ministers and senior party leaders took part in the farm loan waiver event, held virtually, at Dr BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat on Thursday. Thousands of farmers attended the event from in 578 Rythu Vedikas across the State.
Public meeting to thank Rahul
During the event, the CM announced that a huge public meeting (Krutagnyatha Sabha) will be held in Warangal Arts College grounds towards the end of this month. The event will be held to thank the Leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for fulfilling the promise of waiving off crop loans up to Rs 2 lakh, as promised by him from the very venue on May 6, 2022.
Revanth Reddy said that he, along with his cabinet ministers, will go to Delhi to invite Rahul Gandhi for the public meeting in which TPCC expects 5 lakh farmers will take part.
He said July 18 was the most memorable day in his political career, as the State government waived off crop loans of the farmers having a debt up to Rs 1 lakh.
CM speaks with farmers
An interaction session followed, where the chief minister spoke with the farmers.
Speaking with Mahender, a farmer from Adilabad district, Revanth assured that soon a dam will be built at Tummudihatti, irrigating the entire region.
Seetaram, who owns 4.5 acres, told the chief minister that he had taken loan amounting to Rs 78,000.
“I had suffered crop losses last year, and was worried about getting money for investing in Kharif season. But with the loan waiver, I’ve been relieved from the debt burden. I can now focus on farming operations,” he informed the chief minister, thanking the State government for fulfilling its promise much earlier than August 15, as promised by the chief minister.
Mahender told Revanth that he is a father of two daughters who were pursuing Class X and intermediate first year.
CM hits out at BRS
Accusing the earlier BRS government of misleading the farmers on its own poll promises made in 2014 and 2018 on crop loan waiver, Revanth reminded the farmers that BRS government had waived-off only Rs 12,000 crore in its first term, and hardly Rs 9,000 crore in its second term.
“People had lost faith in he chief minister and the government, and a situation for farmers to commit suicide was created. Yet they didn’t keep their word. But Congress has made the Telangana model a role model for the entire country by being the first state in implementing crop loan waiver within 8 months of coming to power. It has been proved that if Congress gives its word, the party stands by it,” he proudly declared.
Praises Gandhi family
“We know that you won’t resign,” Revanth said, with his sarcasm aimed at Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao, who had challenged the chief minister that he would resign as the MLA if the former managed to implement the promise of crop loan waiver for loans up to Rs 2 lakh per farmer household.
Revanth said that the Gandhi family wasn’t the one which makes promises like ‘theirs’ (inferring former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s family).
He recalled how UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had stood by her word, after she had announced in a public meeting in Karimnagar before the 2004 general elections, that crop loans will be waived-off if Congress came to power.
“The Congress under former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh had waived-off crop loans all at one go back then. Sonia Gandhi had promised Telangana, and despite knowing that the party was going to be decimated in Andhra Pradesh, she stood by her word and granted statehood for Telangana, though many tried to lay obstacles in the process,” he reminded.
Telangana debt
Pointing-out that Deputy chief minister and Finance minister Bhatti Vikramarka was paying Rs 7,000 crore as interest every month for the debts amounting to Rs 7 lakh crore accumulated by the former chief minister during the BRS’ rule, Revanth recalled that in 2014, when Telangana was formed, the total debt burden on the State was Rs 6,500 crore, which is almost equal to the monthly interest being paid now.
He said that the State government was spending Rs 5,000 crore to pay salaries to employees on the first of every month, and has spent Rs 29,000 crore on implementing five guarantees out of the six guarantees of Congress, since it came to power.
“Despite the debt burden, Congress government has decided to fulfill its promise made to the farmers, of waiving-off Rs 31,000 crore of farmers’ crop loans,” he said.
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