Hyderabad: Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s first signature as CM is estimated to cost nearly Rs 15,000 crore to the newly-formed state’s exchequer. It will directly benefit 22 lakh farmers in the Telangana state amounting up to Rs 1 lakh each.
Party sources said reti-red IAS officers working with the TRS like A.K. Goel, Ram Laxman, Ramachandrudu Naik and K.V. Ramanachary have started preparing the “first file draft” for the farm loan waiver. The draft will be sent to the state administration to prepare the file accordingly to enable Mr Rao to sign on it immediately after taking oath as the Telangana CM.
“First signature” slogan was the main poll plank to woo voters for the heads of all political parties in the state ever since the late YSR did it by providing “free power to farmers” soon after taking oath as the CM in 2004 from the podium itself at a public event in Lal Bahadur Stadium.
Telugu Desam chief N. Chandrababu Naidu too had promised that his “first signature” would be on loan waiver for farmers after taking charge as AP Chief Minister.
Mr Rao had promised in several of his election meetings that his first signature would be on loan waiver for farmers of up to Rs 1 lakh.
Farmers in the Telangana state owe nearly Rs 24,162 crore to banks as of now. Of them, nearly 22 lakh farmers availed loans of less than Rs 1 lakh which amounts to nearly Rs 15,000 crore, they will now be eligible for the loan waiver.
The amount required will be allotted in the state Budget when the TRS government tables it in the first session of Legislative Assembly.
Party sources said that the farm loan waiver would come into force from the current financial year (2014-15) itself. They said efforts were being made even to give relief to those farmers who had availed of loans of more than Rs 1 lakh. For them, Rs 1 lakh would be waived off and they would be given some time to clear the remaining arrears.
Besides, a scheme to provide interest-free loans to farmers is also under the active consideration of the TRS leadership.
