Congress govt in Telangana carries out third phase of crop loan waiver

Hyderabad: The Telangana government on Thursday carried out the third and final phase of crop loan waiver with an outlay of Rs 5644.24 crore, which would benefit over 4.46 lakh farmers.

The Congress government launched the process of waiver of loans of up to Rs two lakh in three phases on July 8 as per its election promise. Loans up to Rs one lakh were waived in the first phase. The first phase, with an outgo was Rs 6098.93 crore, benefited 11,50,193 farmers, while the second phase, with an outlay of Rs 6,190.01 crores helped 6,40,823 farmers, an official release said.

It said Rs 17,934 crore has been deposited in the accounts of farmers in three phases and the number of farmers whose loans have been dispensed with was 22,37,848.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who addressed a public meeting at Wyra in Khammam district, said the crop loan waiver is being implemented as per the promise made by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in 2022.

Reddy, who launched a sharp attack on opposition BRS and BJP, challenged BRS MLA T Harish Rao to quit his post as the Congress government fulfilled its promise of Rs two lakh crop loan waiver.

He recalled that Harish Rao had earlier challenged that he would resign from his MLA post if the Congress government implemented the crop loan waiver.

Reddy claimed that the BJP does not have a place in the political landscape of Telangana.

Telangana gave eight Lok Sabha seats to BJP in the recent elections, but the NDA government at the Centre gave only a "donkey's egg" (a Telugu metaphor for something non-existent) to the state, he said.

The CM also said BRS leaders were spreading lies against the Congress government and that it was his responsibility to "bury the BRS" if Congress activists, especially from Khammam district, stood in support of the party.

Meanwhile, responding to the loan waiver announced by the Congress government and the comments of CM Reddy, BRS MLA Harish Rao alleged that the chief minister "broke the promise of loan waiver". "In our (BRS) first term, we waived Rs 1 lakh in loans for 35 lakh farmers, which cost nearly Rs 17,000 crore. If the Congress government is really waiving Rs 2 lakh in loans, how can there be only 22 lakh farmers, and how can it cost just Rs 17,869 crore?," Rao, a former BRS minister, said in a release.

"This shows that your loan waiver promise is a blatant lie. Now that it’s clear, you have deceived the public. Who should resign? Who should take responsibility?," Rao, a nephew of BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, said.

Earlier, the CM switched on Pump-2 of the Sitarama project in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, neighbouring Khammam district.

(Inputs from PTI)