The Rajasthan government is mulling a law and setting up of a Commission to provide relief to debt-ridden farmers and to stop auctioning of their land, a senior government official said on Tuesday.
Under the proposed Rajasthan Farmers’ Debt Relief Bill, a Debt Relief Commission will be formed which will be headed by a retired high court judge, said the state’s cooperative department principal secretary, Sreya Guha.
In a recent meeting, Guha has directed the officers to prepare Rajasthan Farmers’ Debt Relief Bill within a month and the registrar cooperative to immediately form a committee in this regard.
“The Bill will be brought as a permanent solution to provide relief to the farmers from the debt burden and to stop the auction of their land,” she said adding that small/marginal farmers, landless labourers and farmers of the weaker section face debt related problems due to peculiar circumstances.
Guha said that interest-free crop loans of ₹22,000 crore have to be disbursed to the farmers in the state in 2023-24, and for the same the Apex Bank managing director have been asked to submit the action plan.
She added the interest-free loans of ₹3,000 crore will be disbursed in the rural areas to 1.50 lakh families in the non-agricultural sector such as handicrafts, small industries, spinning and weaving, painting and printing and shops. She directed the Apex Bank managing director to send an action plan by fixing bank-wise targets.
Guha said the computerisation of all 7282 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) in the state is to be done. In the first phase, 1963 PACS have been selected.
On Friday, chief minister Ashok Gehlot presented a separate budget for the agriculture sector. He announced that Krishak Kalyan Kosh’s amount will be increased from ₹5,000 crore to ₹7,500 crore.
He also announced ₹40,000 economic assistance per cow on account of lumpy death, subsidy to 50,000 farmers for construction of farm ponds, subsidy to 40,000 farmers for 16,000 km pipelines, ₹1,000 crore subsidy to 60,000 farmers for establishment of greenhouse/shed net/ low tunnel/plastic mulching and free vegetable seed mini kits to 20 lakh farmers.
The chief minister also announced seven new Agriculture Colleges and Horticulture Colleges at Dugrapura-Jaipur and interest-free crop loans amounting to ₹22,000 crore.