Farmers’ loan waiver: ₹10 and ₹215

KANPUR: An impressive function in Hamirpur to hand over loan waiver certificates to small and marginal farmers came as a rude shock for many of them.

Sample this: Shanti Devi of Umri village got a loan waiver of just Rs 10.37. She had a loan of Rs 1.55 lakh.

Munni Lal of Maudaha village was given a loan waiver certificate of Rs 215 against his loan of Rs 40,000. The farmers openly questioned the parameters the government has set for the loan waiver.

A farmer named Shivpal, who had taken a loan of Rs 93,000 from a bank, said the government had waived off merely Rs 20271. “Government had announced that it was waiving off farmers’ loans up to Rs 1 lakh,” he said and added that for him the loan waiver was below expectation.

There were dozens like them at the function held with much fanfare.

When the issue reached the minister in charge, Mannu Kori, who had given away the certificates, he termed it as a printing mistake.

As the number of complainants grew, he said he would get the matter looked into properly.

“The loan waivers have been given as per rules. If there are discrepancies, we will get it inquired into and act against those responsible,” said Kori, who is minister of labour and employment exchanges.

In a quick tweet, Samajwadi Party state president Naresh Uttam hit out at the BJP government, calling the loan waiver a sham and mockery of farmers. “Waiver of Rs 10 is a blatant mockery,” he said.

MINISTER IN CHARGE, MANNU KORI BLAMED FAULTY PRINTING BEHIND THE GOOFUP