Lockdown slows down govt’s farm loan waiver process
Loans of 1.22 farmers worth ₹495 crore waived so far; govt has identified nine lakh farmers under the scheme
Jharkhand government’s ambitious farm loan waiver scheme, announced last year to benefit around nine lakh farmers, has so far cast aside only 1.22 lakh farmers’ loans worth ₹495 crore. Officials, however, blamed the ongoing lockdown triggered by second wave of Covid-19 pandemic for the tardy progress.
The government has identified 9.02 lakh eligible farmers under the scheme. However, according to an official announcement this February, the state government targeted to disburse about ₹1,000 crore, covering over 2.5 lakh farmers of the total identified farmers by March-end.
State agriculture director Nisha Oraon Singhmar said, “An amount of over ₹981 crore has been approved under the loan waiver scheme covering 2.44 lakh beneficiaries (farmers). Loans of around ₹495 crore of over 1.22 lakh farmers have been waived so far under the scheme. We are waiting for the remaining fund worth ₹486 crore from the department to benefit rest of the approved beneficiaries.”
Partly fulfilling the promise made by the ruling coalition ahead of the 2019 assembly elections, chief minister Hemant Soren on December 29 last year, on the occasion of completion of one-year of his government, officially announced the farm loan waiver scheme. In the first phase, the government decided to waive farm loans up to ₹50,000. The government proposed ₹2,000 crore in the budget for 2020-21 for the scheme. The scheme was formally rolled out on February 1 this year. Farmers are charged a service of ₹1 against the farm loan waiver.
Singhmar said the process for sanctioning rest of the fund was getting delayed due to lockdown. “The pandemic has also impacted the works at the secretariat. However, situation is improving now, and we hope to get rest of the fund soon,” she said.
According to officials, banks have so far uploaded data of 5.51 lakh eligible farmers till now. “We have completed the process for 2.44 lakh farmers and their loans have also been approved. The e-KYC and other verification of the remaining farmers is still pending due to closure of Pragya Kendras (common service centre) due to lockdown. The e-KYC process will be done only through Pragya Kendras,” Singhmar said.
“Once lockdown relaxations come into effect, the due process will be completed as soon as possible so that identified eligible farmers can be benefitted at the earliest,” she said.
The benefit will go to only those farmers who took loans before March 31, 2020, and have Aadhaar cards.
The agriculture department has found that Aadhaar seeding of more than three lakh farmers out of the identified nine lakh farmers is still pending.
The department has, however, claimed that Aadhaar seeding process has been initiated for such farmers.
The pandemic has also impacted the works at the secretariat. However, situation is improving now, and we hope to get rest of the fund soon
NISHA ORAON SINGHMAR , agriculture director