JD (S)-Cong govt ratifies common minimum prog

BENGALURU: The farm loan waiver has been accepted by the (coordination) committee. Details of the farm loan waiver will be revealed in the chief minister’s Budget speech DANISH ALI,

JD(S) national secretary general

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.

Chief minister HD Kumaraswamy is set to announce the modalities of the waiver during the Budget, which will be presented on Thursday. It has also been decided that ₹1.25 lakh crore will be spent on irrigation over the next five years.

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

However, the coordination committee, 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 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. The other highlights of the CMP, Ali said, were 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 the coalition was not in trouble. “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,” Venugopal said, adding that the government will continue without any hindrance.