Loan waiver also for six lakh farmers’ families without ration cards: Bhatti

Speaking to key Congress leaders at the Praja Bhavan here on Wednesday, Mr Bhatti said that they had spent several sleepless nights for the implementation of the loan waiver scheme given the tough financial situation in which the State was left by the previous BRS government. Yet the government mobilized rupee by rupee and took up the loan waiver programme, he said.

Making it clear that all the farmers’ families will be extended loan waiver, the Deputy Chief Minister said that even six lakh families without ration cards would be covered. No farmer would be left out, he said.

While the government is doing its best to implement the loan waiver programme, Mr Bhatti wanted the Congress leaders to take the loan waiver programme to every polling booth and every voter. “Holding your heads high, publicise the loan waiver scheme,” he said.

The previous BRS government that came to power with a surplus budget, had implemented Rs 1 lakh loan waiver scheme in four installments at the rate of Rs 25,000.

But the Congress party came to power and formed the government inherited loan burden of Rs 7 lakh crore . “Yet we are implementing a Rs 2 lakh loan waiver scheme within a span of a few months,” he pointed out.

Despite financial difficulties, the Congress government implemented five guarantee schemes within a few days after coming to power. But these guarantee schemes were not being publicised to the expected extent at the field level, he noted.

Everyone was surprised when Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy announced before Parliament elections that the loan waiver scheme would be completed before the end of August. Some thought it was an announcement for votes in the wake of elections. But belying every one’s scepticism, the State government was indeed going to implement loan waiver as we carefully mobilised the funds rupee by rupee, Mr Bhatti who holds the Finance portfolio said.

Loan waiver scheme would improve the image of all Congress leaders and it is imperative for Congress leaders to reach out to every village and tell people that the Congress government was implementing loan waiver as per its word.

Congress will be committed to its word and this fact should be explained to farmers to win their hearts, he said.