Other States - Orissa   

Loan waiver scheme: only eight districts notified in State

BERHAMPUR: If the norms of the Reserve Bank and the Central government for loan waiver are to be believed then the Orissa and its farmers are better off than their counterparts in states like Maharashtra, Karnataka or Gujarat.

It may be noted that the Central government had brought large farmers in the ambit of its loan waiver scheme heeding to the demand by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Mr. Rahul Gandhi during budget session in Parliament had urged the government to widen the scope of the scheme to cover farmers with larger acreage in dryland areas.

Under the modified scheme, all farmers, including big ones, in 237 identified districts of the country would get a debt relief of 25 per cent of the outstanding amounts up to Rs. 20,000.

There would be complete loan waiver for small and marginal farmers, whether they are in identified districts or other areas.

Of the 237 identified districts, Maharashtra has most districts with 26, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan having 25 each, Karnataka has 23, Gujarat shares 20 while Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have 17 each.

But the irony is that only eight districts of Orissa namely Kandhamal, Boudh, Sonepur, Bargarh, Bolangir, Dhenkanal and Nuapada have been included in this list.

The Orissa unit of the CPI(M) has termed this identification of distressed districts absurd.

Member of the state secretariat of the party Ali Kishore Patnaik said it was quite hilarious to note that farmers of several KBK districts, including Kalahandi, are less distressed than the ones in rich states like Maharashtra or Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a press conference here Mr. Patnaik said their party demanded the Central government include all districts of a poor state like Orissa in the new list of distressed districts for extended loan waiver.

The CPI(M) is also planning a state wide agitation of peasants against this disparity shown by the Centre towards the farmers of Orissa.

If all Central leaders do not forget to mention Orissa when poverty is discussed then how come there are less distressed districts in Orissa than some of the so called developed states, the CPI(M) leaders asked.

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