Congress promises loan waivers to farmers

BHUBANESWAR: Congress’s pro-farmer promises that resulted in the party’s electoral success in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan were on Wednesday echoed in Odisha with the party’s state president Niranjan Patnaik on Wednesday promising free loan waiver, free solar pump sets and financial assistance for farmers, if voted to power in Odisha.
“Our poll manifesto will have free loan waiver offer for farmers.We will also provide free solar energy-driven pump sets to the farmers. Those farmers, who will be given solar pump sets, will also be given financial assistance for five years to sustain their agriculture,” Niranjan told TOI after attending a meeting of the poll manifesto committee here.
Asked about the contributions of Congress to farmers while it was in power in the state, Niranjan said, “We had taken more pro-farmer initiatives than the incumbent BJD government, which is in power since 2000. The UPA government at Centre too had a pro-farmer stand.”
About 70 percent of Odisha’s 4.5 crore population is dependent on agriculture. For the past few weeks, the Congress has been trying to strike an emotional chord with farmers by throwing its lot behind Navanirman Krushak Sangathan (NKS), a farmers’ outfit, that has been demanding price, prestige and pension for the farmers. “We are sure that the farmers of Odisha will give a betting reply to the BJD government in the ensuing polls over its anti-farmer policy. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday attributed anti-farmer policies of the Centre as the reason for the defeat of BJP in three states,” leader of opposition Narasingha Mishra said.
NKS leader Akhaya Kumar said the state government should not neglect the farmers. “We will throw out the government if our concerns are not addressed,” Kumar said.
The state government said it is alert to the issues of the farmers. “The inter-ministerial committee is looking into the demands of farmers,” cooperation, food supplies and consumer welfare minister Surya Narayan Patro said. Though the government in March denied having considered a farm loan waiver, it made an allocation of Rs 16,765 crore for agriculture and allied sectors in the budget 2018-19.