Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu promised farmers for loan waiver scheme
Kakinada: Police lathicharged the agitating farmers on Monday at the collectorate. Four farmers, including Bharatiya Kisan Sangh state secretary Jalagam Kumara Swamy, were injured in the incident.
The farmers of East Godavari district were agitating as there is inordinate delay in the implementation of farm loan waiver scheme, promised by the Telugu Desam government. The farmers from different parts of the district, especially from Konaseema, converged near the collectorate and were trying to enter the premises.
Meanwhile, a sub-inspector beat up some farmers. Expressing ire over the police action, the farmers led by Mr Swamy complained to the collector, Neethu Prasad. She immediately called the police and inquired about the matter. She instructed the police not to take such action in future.
Mr Kumara Swamy told reporters that the loan waiver scheme for farmers was promised by the Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. But, the government wants to suppress the farmers. They demanded that horticulture crops and all kinds of farm loans should be covered under loan waiver scheme.
BKS state vice-president Y. Suryanarayana said that the CM delinked good relations between farmers and bankers as the farmers would have repaid their debts by making use of the interest-free loans, had Mr Naidu not announced the waiving of farm loans scheme.
Another farmer Chudru Prasad said that now the farmers were made defaulters in view of the bankers, and their interests have been abnormally increased.
The Farmers Association leader Muthyala Zameel said that the Government is contemplating to include compensation amount to be paid to the farmers for Neelam, Helen and other calamities. The Government should pay the compensation amounts of flood relief, crop insurance scheme amounts which amounts to nearly Rs.300 crores in the district to the farmers, apart from loan waiver.
