Belagavi: Two days after the BJP launched its "Bluff Master" and "U-Turn CM" campaign on social media against Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy on the issue of farm loan waiver, Co-operation Minister, Bandeppa Kashempur assured on Friday that the waiver process would be completed by the end of July next year.
Replying to a question by senior JD(S) member, Maritibbe Gowda during question hour in the Legislative Council here, Mr Kashempur said there was no pressure on farmers in the state to repay loans, be it in the co-operative or any other sector. "Nobody is forcing them to repay their loans. The BJP members' allegations on this issue are unfounded. No farmer is being troubled over non-repayment of his or her loan. In fact, the co-operative banks have already started issuing them fresh loans knowing that their present loans will be waived off upto Rs 1 lakh as promised by the Chief Minister," he added.
While revealing that the co-operation department had already received Rs 800 crore from the state government towards the waiver, he conceded there was procedural delay in issuing the farmers debt- free certificates.
Also admitting to delay in nominal procedures such as filling up of applications by the farmers, he, however, said that the state government needed time to match the applications with their(farmers’) accounts in co-operative banks.
Not satisfied with his explanation, BJP leaders continued to demand that the state government waive farm loans given by the Primary Co-operative Agricultural and Rural Development (PICARD) Banks too.
Mr Kashempur responded that the state government was considering waiving the interest component of the loans taken by farmers from PICARD banks. "PICARD banks play an essential role in providing loans to farmers for equipment like tractors. So we are thinking about it," he said.
