Telangana releases Rs 4,000 crore for crop loan waiver dues

 Telangana | Written by : Suryaa Desk Updated: Wed, Apr 12, 2017, 08:51 AM

HYDERABAD : Fulfilling one of its pre-poll promise, the TRS government on Tuesday released Rs 4,000 crore as the final instalment of  crop loan waiver to bankers.


With this, the state government kept up its assurance to waive crop loans of farmers to the tune of Rs 17,000 crore.


The state government had assured to waive crop loans up to Rs 1 lakh to 36 lakh farmers. The crop loans of farmers were paid to the bankers in four instalments in the last four Budgets.


The government came under severe criticism from the opposition parties for its failure to clear crop loans at a single go. They even blamed the government’s failure to clear the loans as one of the reason for farmers’ suicide in the state.


Amid mounting criticism, the final instalment of Rs 4,000 crore was released on Tuesday. The finance department issued Budget Release Order to this effect. Of the Rs 4,000 crore released on Tuesday, Rs 2,957 crore was released under agriculture head, Rs 656 crore under special component plan for SCs and Rs 385 crore under tribal area sub-plan.


Agriculture minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy thanked chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on behalf of 36 lakh farmers for waiver of crop loans.