Farmers across Telangana, have been protesting since Saturday, August 17, against the state government, for not receiving the crop loan waiver scheme of Rs 2 lakh per acre. Many farmers argue that their loans were not completely waived, while others claim to have not received even a single penny from the scheme.
Protesters threw slippers at the effigies of Revanth and demanded that the government fulfil its promises. They also held a symbolic funeral procession for the CM in Adilabad district, as they expressed their dissatisfaction with the scheme's implementation.
The Telangana Congress government had promised a complete loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh for farmers as part of its ‘Warangal Rythu Declaration’, ahead of the Assembly elections. According to the declaration, which was announced by All India Congress Committee (AICC) leader Rahul Gandhi, the Congress government vowed to waive off farmers’ loans of Rs 2 lakh per acre. However, after coming to power, the government split the waiver scheme into three installments, which irked the farmers in dismay. Despite the state government's claims of successfully completing the loan waiver in three phases and spending around Rs 17,900 crore, many farmers argued that they have not benefited from the scheme and that many of them are still struggling with the burden of debt.
Narsareddy, a farmer from Adilabad district, said, “I grow cotton and from this scheme, I’ve received only Rs 80,000 while my loan is Rs 1,30,000. The government hasn’t compensated the remaining Rs 50,000. How should we survive and how should we send our kids to school? When questioned, the bank officials say that they were following government orders and that it was out of their hands. This didn’t happen with the previous government, they did waive our loans as promised.”
Farmers say their protests are driven by frustration over unmet expectations. “In our village of 2,500 farmers, only six members got their loans waived, while the rest of us didn’t even get a penny,” said Shivakar Reddy, hailing from Talamadugu village in Adilabad district.
Another farmer, Govindha Rao, from Khammam district, said, “The bank had linked another farmer’s account number with mine, and claimed that they wouldn't waive my loan since it exceeded Rs 2 lakh.”
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president, KT Rama Rao (KTR), claimed that the government’s implementation had failed to benefit over 60% of eligible farmers, leaving many without the promised financial compensation.
In a letter addressed to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, KTR stated that many farmers are complaining of not receiving the promised scheme. He noted that despite the Congress' promise of a Rs 2 lakh loan waiver as part of its 2022 scheme, the actual implementation has fallen short of expectations. The letter also stated that there has been a significant reduction in the estimated budget for the waiver from Rs 40,000 crore to merely Rs 17,933 crore, raising questions about the government's commitment to fulfilling its promises.