Disburse 100 per cent crop loan: Kishore Tiwari

Mumbai: Kishore Tiwari, chairman of the Vasantrao Naik Shetkari Swavalamban Mission (VNSSM), a state government agency related to farming, has directed all banks to make available 100 per cent loans to farmers by June 15 for the Kharif season.

Mr Tiwari told The Asian Age that this direction had been given looking at the current drought situation, especially in Marathwada and Vidarbha, to ensure that no farmer had to borrow money from private moneylenders and usuries. He said that he had directed all tehsildar offices to make available the farmers’ list, along with 7/12 extracts (Satbara), to the banks. Mr Tiwari said that he had written to all district collectors of Marathwada and Vidarbha for the same.

“Last year, only 30 per cent farmers were provided crop loans for the Kharif season. I have directed that crop loans be made available to 100 per cent farmers,” he said.

He added that due to restructuring of crop loans, nationalised banks would able to make available crop loans to every farmer by June 15. If the officers and banks dodged the order, action would be taken against them.

Mr Tiwari said that if the banks did not give loans to farmers and farmers committed suicide, they would initiate legal action against such banks and hold them responsible for the farmers’ suicides. The banks would have to give crop loans to farmers, he said.

“VNSSM wants to distribute 20 per cent more loans in comparison with last year. We have given the target to district collectors. Crop loans worth Rs 20,000 crores will be disbursed in Vidarbha and Marathwada,” he said.

In 2018, crop loans worth Rs 34,000 crores had been distributed. However, the target given was crop loans worth one lakh crores. This year, 1.16 lakh crore has been earmarked for crop loans.