M.S. Atmananda, the former Minister and Mandya District Congress Committee (MDCC) president, has appealed to the State government to waive crop loans and provide the much-needed relief to farmers in distress.
Mr. Atmananda, a prominent Congress leader in the district, told The Hindu that he had written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, suggesting a few measures to help the farming community overcome the present crises of crop losses and indebtedness.
“Several farmers in the district have committed suicide because of a crisis in farming sector in the last few weeks. Hence, I have requested the Chief Minister to convene a high-level meeting at Mandya to look for remedial measures for preventing farmers from committing suicides,” he said here on Thursday.
It was time to call for a special meeting with district in-charge Minister M.H. Ambareesh, elected representatives, members of all political parties and representatives of various sectors to find a solution for the issue of farmers' suicides in the State, he said.
The government should waive crop loans or instruct banks not to harass farmers for failing to repay the loans, he said.
Extend loan term
In the letter, Mr. Atmananda has emphasised the need to convert short-term loans into long-term ones. Banks should be instructed not to send loan recovery/property auction notices and stringent action should be initiated against moneylenders. Steps should be initiated to instil confidence among farmers so that they abstained from taking the extreme step, he said in the letter.
