The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Report on farm crisis in Idukki by month-end

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Friday, Aug 10, 2007
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Report on farm crisis in Idukki by month-end

T. Ramavarman

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chairman of the State Farmers’ Debt Relief Commission K.A. Abdul Gafoor has said the Commission would submit its report on the agrarian crisis in Idukki district by the end of this month. The Commission constituted in March this year had earlier submitted its recommendations on the agrarian crisis in Wayanad district on June 27. Based on the Commission’s report, the State Cabinet had declared Wayanad as a distress-hit district on Wednesday.

Mr. Gafoor told TheHindu here that the five-member Commission would hold its next meeting on August 16 to give shape to its report on Idukki district. Replying to questions, he said the Government had already sanctioned Rs.75 lakh towards meeting the administrative expenditure of the Commission and Rs. 130 crore for disbursement to farmers as relief to tide over the agricultural crisis in Idukki and Wayanad districts.

“But the Government was yet to post full-time staff at the Commission. However, we have appointed some 20 people on daily wage-basis, as we have already received the money for meeting the administrative expenditure.”

Wayanad sittings

Mr. Gafoor said the Commission would start its sittings in Wayanad to disburse relief to farmers from September 4. The sittings will continue till the end of October in the first phase, at three places — Sultan Bathery, Kalpetta and Mananthavady.

He said the Commission had already issued notices to individual farmers who had sent applications for debt relief as well as to the banks and financial institutions.

While a two-member Bench will conduct hearings on the loans taken from cooperative banks, another Bench will hear complaints on debts from private finance firms. A third single Bench will conduct hearings on loans taken by the farmers from nationalised banks.

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