Mathura farmer receives loan waiver of 1 paisa. What?!
Chhiddi, a farmer in Mathura's Govardhan Tehsil was in for a rude shock when he received a waiver of one paisa on a Rs. 1,55,000 loan. He accused the government of "making fun of farmers." His son Banwari Sharma accused government officials of corruption, saying they won't release money until they receive a bribe, which is difficult for people getting meager waivers. Know more!
What had the UP government announced about loan waivers?
After BJP came to power in UP in April, CM Yogi Adityanath waived off crop loans up to Rs. 1 lakh of the state's small and marginal farmers, i.e., 92.5% of the state's farmers. This move, BJP's poll manifesto promise, was supposed to benefit about 21 million farmers. This loan waiver along with other waivers cost the state exchequer Rs. 36,359 crore.
Meanwhile, there have been other incidents of farmers feeling duped
In similar incidents, farmers in Etawah district received 19 paise and 50 paise waivers on their loans. A farmer said that, "I have spent a lot till now, have visited a number of officials but have only received 19 paise of relief."
What is the government official saying?
Mathura's DM Arvind Mallapa said the error was due to the system's "technical glitches" or "dual accounts" issue. Moreover, waivers will be granted in three phases. He said farmers with Aadhaar-linked accounts received the loan waiver first. The Aadhaar-linked account of Chhiddi, who has two accounts, had a one paisa outstanding loan, which was paid. How true this claim is remains to be seen.
