JD (S)-cong govt ratifies common minimum prog

BENGALURU: The coordination committee of the Janata Dal (Secular)-congress alliance government on Sunday ratified the common minimum programme (CMP) that will be the basis for the functioning of the government. Among the many programmes in the CMP is the farm loan waiver, which was also approved.

Chief minister HD Kumaraswamy is set to announce the modalities of the waiver during the Budget, which will be presented on Thursday.

Additionally, it has also been decided that ₹1.25 lakh crore will be spent on irrigation over the next five years.

There had been speculation that there were differences between the two parties on the question of the farm loan waiver, especially as the previous Siddaramaiah-led Congress government had decided to waive farm loans taken from cooperative banks.

However, the coordination committee, which is chaired by Siddaramaiah, has approved the scheme.

Addressing the press, JD(S) national secretary general Danish Ali, who is also a member of the coordination committee, said while the farmer loan waiver was agreed upon the details of the scheme were left to the chief minister, who is also the finance minister, to iron out.

“The farm loan waiver has been accepted by the committee. Details of the farm loan waiver will be revealed in the chief minister’s Budget speech,” Ali said.

“Loans taken before the last day of 2017 will be waived,” he said.

Ali said the committee agreed to allocate ₹1.25 lakh crore to the irrigation sector over the next 5 years.

The other highlights of the CMP, Ali said, were the construction of 2 million new homes, forming a new sports policy, and aiming to create 10 million new jobs.

“In addition to this, all the major flagship schemes of the previous government will continue,” Ali said.

Meanwhile, Congress general secretary in-charge for Karnataka KC Venugopal said that contrary to the speculation in the media the coalition was not in trouble and that the coordination committee meeting went well.

“Some in the media had said that the Congress was against the waiver, but [Congress president] Rahul Gandhi said from the beginning that we are for waiving of farm loans as there is distress,” Venugopal said, adding that the government will continue without any hindrance.

Many Congress leaders had expressed anger at being left out of the previous Cabinet expansion, with some even meeting Rahul Gandhi to lobby for their inclusion in the government.

However, Venugopal said any further expansion would have to wait for the session to end on July 12.