Former Minister Harish Rao raises concerns over crop loan waiver guidelines

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], July 16 : Former Minister and BRS MLA Harish Rao on Tuesday voiced his concerns about the new loan waiver guidelines introduced by the state government and criticized the guidelines for focusing more on bureaucratic filters than on providing genuine relief to farmers.
In a press conference, Rao said, "The new loan waiver guidelines seem to prioritize stringent filters over actual relief for farmers."
He also questioned the reliance on ration cards to determine loan eligibility, arguing that this could disqualify many deserving farmers and also took issue with the government's decision to prioritize PM Kisan data, potentially excluding a significant number of farmers.
Rao also took to his official X handle and said, "It is deplorable that Congress, which had promised to waive off loans to all farmers in the elections, has now changed its word and based on PM Kisan's data, it will waive only those farmers who have a ration card, and that too only one person in the family."
He added, "During the BRS regime, we waived the loans of every single farmer. Congress government should also give loan waivers to every farmer. Otherwise, it is like cheating the farmers. It is unfair that the state government, which has already cut many schemes by saying that the ration card is mandatory, is deceiving the food donors like this."
Pointing to the Ration Card Verification, the former minister criticized the requirement for ration card verification, stating that banks provided loans based on passbooks, not ration cards. "Linking ration cards and Aadhaar for loan waivers is unfair and could mislead farmers," he said.
Rao also said that by using PM Kisan (PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi) data, the government could exclude many farmers who benefited from the Rythu Bandhu scheme. He said, "While 68.99 lakh farmers benefited under Rythu Bandhu (agriculture investment support scheme by Telangana government), only 30.36 lakh benefited through PM Kisan, leaving 39 lakh farmers potentially without loan waivers."
Rao highlighted that under the previous BRS government, Rs 16,144 crores were waived for 35.31 lakh farmers in the first release. In the second release, Rs 13,000 crores were waived for 22.98 lakh farmers, amounting to a total of Rs 29,144 crores in two installments.
Harish Rao emphasized that farmers who have paid their debts on time should also be eligible for loan waivers. These farmers, he said, deserve sympathy and respect.
He stressed the importance of including groups like Joint Liability Groups (JLGs), Self Help Groups (SHGs), and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in the loan waiver scheme. These groups represent small farmers who should not be left out.
Harish Rao called for a re-evaluation of the loan waiver guidelines, urging the government to ensure that all farmers can benefit from the scheme, regardless of their circumstances. He emphasized the vital role of farmers in the economy and the need to provide them with necessary support during difficult times.