"INDIA bloc will form a permanent Farm Loan Waiver Commission...": Jairam Ramesh

New Delhi [India], May 23 (ANI): Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Thursday claimed that the Modi government waived bank loans worth Rs 16 lakh crore of its "crony capitalist friends" but not of farmers.
"The Modi government has waived bank loans worth Rs 16 lakh crore of its crony capitalist friends, but not even a single rupee of the farmers' agricultural loan has been waived," Jairam Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X.
He further said that in 2008 the UPA government waived agricultural loans worth Rs 72,000 crore.
"In 2008, the UPA government led by Dr Manmohan Singh waived off agricultural loans worth Rs 72,000 crore. This benefited a large number of farmers: 54 lakh farmers in UP, 4.2 lakh farmers in Punjab, 8.9 lakh farmers in Haryana and 17.6 lakh farmers in Bihar," he said.
The Congress general secretary said that the INDIA bloc will create a permanent commission to ensure such waiver for farmers in every state if they come to power.
"On June 4, when the INDIA bloc comes to power, we guarantee to create a permanent Farm Loan Waiver Commission, which will ensure farm loan waiver in every state. We have fulfilled our promises earlier also, we are saying that we will do it again," he added.
Earlier, in a video message on X, he said that the farmers' movement has been going on in Haryana and Punjab since five years and though the government took back the "three black farm laws", it has "not fulfilled the promises" made to farmer organizations.
"The Congress has given five concrete guarantees for farmers in its 'Nyay Patra' (manifesto), including a legal guarantee to MSP, based on the Swaminathan formula, and a permanent commission to effectively implement loan waiver plans," he said.
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are being held in seven phases from April 19 to June 1. The counting and results will be declared on June 4. (ANI)