Mysuru: Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) and Hasiru Sene State Unit President Badagalapura Nagendra has demanded Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to release white paper on how many farmers had benefited from his ambitious farm loan waiver scheme.

Addressing reporters at Pathrakarthara Bhavan here yesterday, he said that the CM had promised to clear the loans of  farmers borrowed from both Cooperative and Commercial Banks to the tune of Rs.48,000 crore by the end of the next financial year of 2019-20 in  his budget speech.

The CM claimed that the Co-operative loan waiver process was scheduled to be completed by June 2019 and that the Commercial Bank loan waiver would also be completed during the financial year 2019-20.

Besides, he had issued statements on releasing  Rs. 6,500 crore of which Rs.2,850 crore has been released to benefit about six lakh farmers who borrowed loans in Co-operative Banks under farm loan waiver scheme, on various occasions and during  his election speeches, Nagendra said and added that still there was a lot of confusion over the loan waiver scheme of HDK Government. Many Commercial Banks are issuing loan recovery notices to farmers and filing cases against defaulters despite the farmer loan waiver announcement. The debt-ridden farmers are committing suicide unable to clear the mounting pressure, he said and urged the CM to bring out a white paper to clear this confusion.

Nagendra also condemned the State and Central Governments for failing to tackle drought in more than 156 taluks of Karnataka this year and for not coming up with drought relief measures.

He lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his failure to protect the interest of farmers in  his home State Gujarat where American multinational company PespsiCo has filed a suit against four farmers of the State claiming that they have used its patented seeds to grow potatoes without prior permission.

State-level workshop

He said that KRRS and Hasiru Sene will hold a two-day State-level workshop on  May 17 and 18 to discuss issues plaguing the farmers in the State in which various  eminent agriculture scientists, experts and farmer leaders from across the State will take part. The outcome of this workshop will be submitted to the government to take corrective steps to protect the interests of farmers, he added.       

KRRS leaders M. Ashwathanarayanaraje Urs, District General Secretary Hosakote Basavaraj, KRRS District Women’s Wing President Nethravathi, Taluk Unit President P. Marankaiah and others were present.