Keeping poll promises, UP Govt. waives farmers' loan worth Rs. 30,729 crore

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], Apr. 4 (ANI): Keeping up to its poll promise made during the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday waived off Rs. 30, 729 crore worth loan amount of the small and marginal farmers of the state. The decision will be benefitting 2 crore 15 lakh farmers of the state. Along with this, the government has also decided to forego Non-Performing Assets (NPA) worth Rs. 5,630 crore of eight lakh farmers. "Uttar Pradesh has 2,30,00,000 farmers. We have waived off Rs. 30, 729 crore loan amount of the farmers," Cabinet Minister Siddharth Nath Singh told the media here. Cabinet Minister Shrikant Sharma said that the government has decided to keep a target of 80 lakh tonnes of wheat purchase. "All the district Magistrates (DMs) have been instructed to purchase more where there is more produce," Sharma said. Also, 7,000 purchase centres would be opened in the state. Singh also intimated that the government would introduce 'farmer bond' for the welfare of the farming community. Apart from this, the government also appreciated the anti-Romeo squads operating in the state, adding that strict instructions have been given for not causing trouble for mutually-together couples. Speaking on another reform brought in the by the Uttar Pradesh Government, the Cabinet informed that a total of 26 illegal slaughterhouses have been closed down. The first Cabinet meeting of Uttar Pradesh chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led government was held here earlier in the day. The Cabinet, chaired by the Chief Minister took up several key issues including a loan waiver for farmers. During the recent assembly polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had promised to waive off agricultural loans of farmers in the first Cabinet meeting after coming to power. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared at an election rally that he would ensure the BJP Government in its first Cabinet meeting takes decision to waive off the farmers' loan. (ANI)