Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath on Friday launched the crop loan waiver scheme at Tamli in Ratlam district in the state by writing off the farm dues, of a little over 40,000 peasants in the area, to the tune of Rs 134 crore. Mr Nath handed over the certificate clearing the farm dues of local farmer Babulal Bharelal Rathore — the first beneficiary of the scheme in the state — while launching the scheme, christened as Jai Kisan Crop Loan Waiver Yojana. Mr Rathore’s farm outstanding, which amounted to Rs 1,95,447, was written off. In its election manifesto, Congress had promised to waiver farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh each of the farmers after coming to power in MP. Mr Nath announced that 50 lakh farmers in the state would be benefited by the loan waiver scheme of his government, which would cost the state exchequer around Rs 50,000 crore. He had earlier indicated that the scheme would be launched in phases. In the first phase, 25 lakh farmers would be covered under the scheme by February 28.
“Our government could achieve the herculean task of undertaking the exercise to write off crop loans of 50 lakh farmers in the state in a short span of a month. The money will be transferred to the accounts of the beneficiaries within 15 days,” he announced. He said the scheme would strengthen the economy of farmers in the state.
