G S Asgotra
Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 6: Although the farmer community has lost three main crops in last two years to weather vagaries and now paddy growers are incurring huge losses due to low price of crop, which has virtually broken the back bone of farming community but the government claims of waiving off Kissan Credit Card (KCC) loans, has proved merely a rhetoric. Moreover, coalition government's earmarked Rs 150 crores to waive off fifty percent KCC loan for small and vulnerable farmers in its maiden budget has not so far distributed among farmers due to callous approach of government, exposing its tall claims.
Pertinently, after assuming power in state, to woo farmer community, the BJP-PDP coalition government had hastily in its maiden budget, earmarked Rs 150 Crores for waiving off KCC loan for small and marginalized farmers, who lost their crops due to hostile weather conditions and devastating floods of September 2014.
"But unfortunately after lapse of 10 months, not even a single penny has been released in favour of farmers so far, showing insensibility of the government toward farming community", sources said.
"After flood devastation, one major calamity-rainstorms of April 2015 which destroyed all the Rabi crops including wheat, mustard oil and other in Jammu province and now the paddy growers have been facing huge losses due to low price of Paddy, while the government rather than healing it, has been making statement over waiving off of KCC loan upto one lakh but on ground it is totally false", said Choudhary Balvinder Singh, a farmer of border village of R S Pura.
He further said, "The callous approach of incumbent government can be gauged from this fact that the government is going to present new budget and holding various meeting with stakeholder but last budget announcement concerning farmer is still not executed", said an official of agricultural department.
He further added that few days back, the Finance minister, Haseeb Ahmed Drabu meeting with farmer leaders had reiterated that the government was committed to waive off farmers loan up to 50 percent, but government so far had not waived off farmers' loans.
"The Bank authorities are again and again serving notice to farmers to deposit KCC installment, and threatening to take stern action against them or cancelling their limits", he said.
The purpose of Kissan credit cards, for which, the government had started this ambitious scheme, has been defeated he said adding, "If the government failed to waive off KCC loans of farmers than, it will compel marginalized farmers to depend upon money lenders rather than banks", he asserted. |
