Hyderabad: The Telangana crop loan waiver cleared Rs 20,616.89 crore in eligible loans for 25,35,964 farmers, Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao said. He said the government implemented the one-time waiver as part of its farmer welfare measures.
The scheme covered eligible crop loans of up to Rs 2 lakh. Moreover, the waiver included both the principal amount and interest. Tummala said the government implemented the programme during its first crop season after assuming office.
Banks initially submitted information relating to 42.30 lakh loan accounts. Subsequently, officials identified 31.07 lakh of them as family accounts. After verification, authorities found 25,35,964 accounts eligible for the waiver.
Telangana crop loan waiver followed door-to-door checks
Tummala said officials conducted nearly two months of village-level verification to ensure eligible farmers received the benefit. Teams carried out door-to-door checks across villages. In addition, officials addressed Aadhaar linkage problems and discrepancies in loan accounts.
Some farmers had initially missed the benefit because of technical or documentation issues. However, officials corrected those discrepancies and included eligible farmers in subsequent phases. The minister said this verification process aimed to ensure that no eligible farmer remained excluded from the programme.
According to Tummala, the government maintained transparency throughout the exercise. It placed beneficiary details before the Legislative Assembly. Furthermore, authorities made the information available at both constituency and village levels.
Telangana crop loan waiver limited to crop loans
Tummala clarified that the Telangana crop loan waiver applied only to eligible crop loans of up to Rs 2 lakh. The government treated long-term agricultural loans separately, he said.
The minister said the waiver covered both principal and interest within the prescribed crop loan limit. Therefore, other categories of agricultural borrowing did not automatically fall under the one-time programme.
Overall, banks had submitted 42.30 lakh loan accounts for consideration. Officials then identified 31.07 lakh family accounts before completing eligibility verification. Ultimately, the government waived Rs 20,616.89 crore for 25,35,964 eligible farmers, according to the minister.
Tummala said the government would continue measures to reduce the financial burden on farmers. He added that it would also pursue initiatives aimed at strengthening Telangana’s agricultural sector.