Cong will bring loan waiver scheme for small, marginal farmers: Surjewala
The Congress, if voted to power, would bring a loan waiver scheme for all small and marginal farmers in the country on the pattern of the farm loan waiver programme of the UPA government in 2009, senior leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said. He said the Congress party has already decided in its Delhi AICC session that the party would provide interest-free loans to cover input costs to tenant farmers, share croppers and farmers owning and cultivating up to two hectares of land. Addressing a Jan Lalkar' rally in Safidon on Saturday, Surjewala said, "The Narendra Modi government has waived a huge amount of loans taken by a few select industrialists, but it is not bothered about the crores of distressed farmers who are not getting the promised rates for their farm produces." Surjewala said that the Congress party is committed to bring back smile on the faces of farmers, youth, backward and deprived sections of the society. "The people are greatly disappointed with the BJP as the state and central BJP governments have no concern with people's problems and their slogan 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' has become 'Pradesh Ka Vinash and Apna Vikas” in reality for the BJP leaders," he alleged. Surjewala criticised the BJP leadership for its alleged failure to honour its pre-poll promises to youth, farmers and other sections of the society. Referring to the mounting debt on the state, Surjewala said that the BJP government has brought prosperous Haryana on the brink of bankruptcy. "Haryana's debt has increased to 1,41,792 crore in 2017-18 from around 60,000 crore in 2013-14. The steep increase of over Rs 81,000 crore in just three-and-a-half years is quite alarming and reflects the sad state of affairs in the state," he added. PTI
