Bhubaneswar: Taking a cue from party’s experiment in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh where farmers were promised many things, including loan waiver, - Odisha PCC on Wednesday announced that the party will exempt all farm-debts if it comes to power in the state in 2019. “Congress will waive all farm loans and extend financial assistance to farmers in the State for five years if the party comes to power in 2019,” OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik told reporters after attending the first meeting of the party’s poll manifesto committee here. Speaking to mediapersons, Mr Patnaik said waiving of loans would not solve all the problems of farmers. Hence, the party has decided to provide solar pumps to help farmers with irrigation along with financial assistance for five years. “We would also extend financial support to the farmers continuously for five years. With irrigation facility round the year, farmers will be able to produce additional crops that would stabilise their financial position. They will not borrow loans further,” said Mr Patnaik. The PCC chief also said that the monthly old-age pension will be increased from Rs 300 to Rs 1,000 if Congress voted to power in the state in 2019.
On Mahanadi water row with the neighbouring Chhattisgarh, Mr Patnaik said “Unlike BJD, we would present the grievances on behalf of the state before Chhattisgarh Government and the Centre. A solution would surely come out after that.”
