KTR’s letter to Rahul Gandhi highlights ‘betrayal’ on crop loan waiver in Telangana
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao has taken the crop loan waiver issue to senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, accusing the Telangana government of betraying farmers by failing to fulfil its election promise of a comprehensive crop loan waiver.
In a letter addressed to the AICC leader on Sunday (August 18, 2024), Mr.Rama Rao stated, “Data from the State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) reveals the gravity of the situation. Banks disbursed ₹49,500 crore in crop loans to farmers during the financial year 2023-24, but only ₹17,933 crore has been waived, covering just 22.37 lakh farmers.”
He added that farmers are now forced to navigate a bureaucratic maze, running from banks to officials, seeking answers to why they have been excluded from the waiver.
Mr. Rama Rao pointed out that during the Assembly elections that the Congress party and Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy promised a ₹2 lakh loan waiver in a single instalment. This promise was a key feature of the Congress’ ‘Warangal Rythu Declaration’ unveiled by Mr. Gandhi in 2022. According to the letter, while the Congress government initiated the loan waiver process, it has reportedly failed to reach many eligible farmers. He expressed surprise that despite the Congress party’s promise to double the waiver amount, the number of beneficiaries had decreased by 14.31 lakh.
The letter further alleges that the Congress government’s initial estimate of ₹40,000 crore for the loan waiver was gradually reduced to ₹31,000 crore in a Cabinet meeting, and then to ₹26,000 crore in budget allocations. Eventually, the finalised amount was only ₹17,933 crore, distributed in three instalments. The BRS leader noted that BRS’ WhatsApp helpline had received over 1 lakh complaints within a week, indicating widespread dissatisfaction with the waiver’s implementation.
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