After the BJP governments in Assam and Gujarat announced farm loan waiver and a slash in rural electricity bills, respectively, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday targetted PM Modi saying, “The Congress party has managed to wake the CMs of Assam and Gujarat from their deep slumber. PM is still asleep. We will wake him up too”.
Assam government on Tuesday approved farm loan waiver to the tune of Rs 600 crore which will benefit around eight lakh farmers of the state.
Advertisement
As per the scheme, the government will write off 25 per cent loan of farmers up to a maximum of Rs 25,000 of all farm debts, Assam Government spokesperson and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said.
The government has also sanctioned an interest relief scheme which will enable around 19 lakh farmers to take loans at zero interest from the next financial year.
The cabinet also approved subsidy up to Rs 10,000 to incentivise farmers if they take loan from KCC.
The Vijay Rupani-led BJP government in Gujarat Tuesday announced a complete waiver of Rs 650 crore in unpaid electricity bills, under its one-time settlement scheme for over 6 lakh people living in rural parts of the state.
Under the scheme, irrespective of the due amount, including principal and interest, people living in rural areas can get back their electricity connection by paying just Rs 500.
The move comes a day after the newly-formed Congress governments in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh announced farm loan waivers, fulfilling a promise made by the party ahead of the Assembly polls.
Immediately after taking over as the new Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath on Monday waived loans of farmers to the tune of Rs 2 lakh each, as on March 31, 2018, taken from nationalised and the cooperative banks and thereby, delivering on the Congress pre-poll promise of cancelling farm loans within 10 days of coming to power.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Bhagel, who too took charge on Monday, followed suit and announced his government will waive farm loans worth Rs 6,100 crore of around 1.66 million farmers.
According to reports, Rajasthan will too follow suit in coming days.
Stepping up his attack against the BJP government, Rahul Gandhi had on Tuesday said that his party “will not let Prime Minister Narendra Modi sleep till he waives loans of farmers”.
Read | ‘Won’t let PM Modi sleep till farm loans waived’: Rahul Gandhi attacks Govt
In the run-up to the state assembly elections, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had promised farm loan waivers in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan within 10 days of the Congress coming to power.
Speaking to media, Rahul Gandhi had also accused PM Modi of “creating two Indias” and charged that the prime minister was not concerned about the farmers of the country and only cares about his entrepreneur friends.