Andhra Pradesh - Guntur   

Consultations on Loan Eligibility draft Bill end on inconclusive note

GUNTUR: Consultations held with farmers on the draft bill in the name of A.P Loan Eligibility Card (for permissive cultivators) Act, 2011 by the Revenue and Agricultural Departments on Wednesday ended on an inconclusive note with the farmers expressing apprehensions over the proposed legislation and tenant farmer groups urging for greater institutional support.

The meeting was convened by Joint Collector A. Sharath to elicit opinions on the draft bill to provide loan eligibility to permissive cultivators (tenant farmers), who have no access to public financial institutions or claim benefits of input subsidy, compensation for crop damages etc.

But the meeting held at Krishi Bhavan turned out to be a damp squib as the feeble voice of few tenant farmers was almost muzzled down by over bearing land lords, with some of them raising pitch against act, which gives a false sense of ownership to tenant farmers. Some tenant farmers, who bore the brunt of recent rains, vented out their ire against Agricultural Department officials for their inaction on the promised rescheduling of crop loans.

A farmer, Sridhar Babu from Atchampet even went on to say that tenant farmer should spend one-third of loan on fertilizers, a comment which drew flak from CPI(M)-led Ruthy Samakhya leaders.

Dr. Sharath while allaying concerns over ownership rights stated that land owners would be assured of full protection to their lands. The Loan Eligibility Card issued to a permissive cultivator would create a right only on the crop raised and shall not confer any right in the land.

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