It appears that the Congress government has backtracked on its poll promise of crop loan waiver. Before the elections, the Congress party promised to waive Rs. 2 lakh loans for all farmers. However, after coming to power, they are now restricting this waiver to a few, despite earlier assurances of no restrictions.
The guidelines released by the government highlight this change, with the ration card being linked to identify eligible families and the implementation of PM Kisan rules. The loan waiver provisions have proven troublesome for farmers.
The Congress government had initially decided to impose restrictions on the waivers, and a month ago, leaks suggested that PM Kisan rules would be applied. Now, the waiver is being implemented with these restrictions, leading to accusations that the government is trying to appear as though they have fulfilled their promise without incurring significant financial burden.
The Congress party’s election promise estimated that Rs. 40,000 crores would be required to fulfill the Rs. 2 lakh loan waiver. CM Revanth Reddy had announced that the waiver would be completed in one installment before August 15. However, raising such a large amount of funds in a short period has proven impossible, prompting criticism that the government is focusing on cuts to manage the financial burden.
CM Revanth Reddy recently stated that Rs. 31,000 crores would be needed for the waiver. Due to the inability to gather these funds, more people are being excluded through the ration card link and PM Kisan regulations, effectively halving the number of eligible beneficiaries and the financial burden on the government.