Yogi to launch farm loan waiver scheme from tomorrow

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath would launch the much publicised farm loan waiver scheme certificates to small and marginal farmers from tomorrow.

During the launch to be made in Lucknow, around 7,000 farmers would get certificates amounting to around Rs 50 crores of waivers of the loan amount.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh would be the chief guest on the occasion to be held at the Smriti Upvan at 1500 hrs.

State Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Sahi, talking to reporters here, today said after tomorrow’s launching the ministers and peoples’ representatives would be distributing the same in the districts.

Officials said here today that in the first phase, the farmers who have Aadhar linked with the bank account would be given the benefit, second phase would be for those who have no Aadhar but there is no dispute on their farm land and the third and last phase would be for those, who have dispute over their lands.

“The launching of the distribution of certificates in Lucknow tomorrow would be made to only those  who have linked their Aadhar numbers with their banks,” the official said.

The farmers would get the waiver amount but it would be directly transferred to their banks for necessary action.

The UP Government has already set up committee in all 75 districts of the state headed by district magistrates to select the eligible farmers to receive the benefit.

Around 86 lakh farmers in UP are expected to receive the benefit whose loan of up to Rs 1 lakh would be waived.  The Government has already selected around 26 lakh farmers for the benefit mostly who have Aadhar.

The State Government has already made a provision of Rs 34,000 crore in the budget this fiscal for the loan waiver, though earlier they had claimed that it would require Rs 36,000 for the scheme.

District officials have been asked to check records in case a farmer’s name is different in the land records and in the bank, and if the loan is given by a bank branch that is not located in the same district where the farmer has his land. Cases where there is duplicity in the Aadhaar number or bank account will also be looked at closely.

The Yogi Government on its first cabinet meeting held on April 4 after coming to power on March 19, announced the loan waiver scheme for the farmers.

The farm loan waiver was one of the biggest poll promises of BJP during the UP assembly elections, and it is the biggest so far by any state. In fact, it is more than half the size of the loan waiver, announced by UPA-1 Government in 2008 for whole of India.

All farmers who have taken loan from any bank, including the cooperative banks, are covered. But it  applies only for farm loans taken for paddy, wheat, fertilizers and insecticides. Only those farmers who took loan before  March 31, 2017 are eligible for the loan waiver scheme.

The scheme will also cover 7 lakh farmers who were under debt trap and whose loans had turned into non performing assets. (AGENCIES)