Jharkhand government approves loan waiver for marginal farmers
The Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand has decided to waive farm loans up to Rs 50,000. The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday which was presided over by the CM. The decision will benefit nearly 7.61 lakh farmers of the state who borrowed loans between April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2020.
According to the reports, the government has got Rs 2,000 crore budgetary sanction to waive loans in the current fiscal.
Ajoy Kumar, Cabinet Secretary, said that farmers who have paid at least one EMI of their loan will be eligible for the waiver. Farmers will require submitting their ration card and Aadhar numbers linked to banks to avail the benefit. They will also have to provide mobile number and Re 1 token money with the application. The government will directly transfer the loan amount into their account after verification.
According to reports, an official announcement will be made on December 29 when the Soren government completes one year in office. The Congress, which is a constituent of the Soren government, had in its election manifesto last year promised a loan waiver for farmers.
Agriculture minister Badal Patralekh said that the government is committed to the welfare of farmers and assured that new measures will also be announced in the coming days.
The decision assumes significance as it comes at a time when thousands of farmers, especially from Punjab and Haryana, are protesting at Delhi border points against the three central laws.
In another related development, the Cabinet also cleared the 'fasal rahat yajana'. Under this scheme, the state government will provide monetary relief to farmers who faced crop loss.
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