The Centre’s adamant stand that it is not considering any loan waiver scheme for farmers is like rubbing salt into their wounds. Besides, the farmers are not offered any sop or even a word of consolation by the government, whereas the Union Minister of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala, a sophist in the making has even said ruthlessly, “such waivers may impact the credit culture of a State by incentivising the defaulters even if they are in a position to repay the loan and thus create the moral hazard by discouraging those borrowers who have been regular in repaying their loans. Further, each waiver granted makes it even more difficult to reject any future similar demand.”
His philosophy sounds bizarre and theoretical, and it has no pragmatic touch. Many farmers took the extreme step of suicide due to diabolic mental agonies that engulfed them at the thought of repayment of their agricultural loans as their crops got damaged in the unexpected and unfavourable weather. Are they really responsible for the crops’ damage? Such unexpected and unprecedented occasions when the weather plays havoc on the standing crops, the government must come to the aid and rescue of farmers. If the government does not carry out its responsibility, then who else will do it?
Certain nationalised banks along with the new generation private banks are vying to come up to the top position at the world level at the expense of the farmers, and the sad fact is that the government is lending all help to such banks by being hand in glove with them and even speaking on behalf of them. Such appeasing and opportunistic government’s stand in favour of banks must be stopped. It should be born in mind that the agriculture is our backbone and it must come first on the priority list of the government. Minister’s erroneous notion that write-offs encourage defaulters is to be viewed seriously and the statement has to be withdrawn immediately.
