Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has suggested to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that a national policy on farm loan waivers be formulated in order to relieve farmers from financial burden.
“In order to relieve the farmers from the agrarian distress, we should have a national policy on loan waiver. The State Government will support any initiative taken by the Central Government in this regard,” the Chief Minister’s letter to the Prime Minister read.
The Chief Minister had written a letter on June 16 ahead of the NITI Aayog’s Governing Council meeting in Delhi which held on Sunday.
Patnaik suggested that the Union Government create a Credit Guarantee Trust for Agriculture (CGTA) on the lines of the Credit Guarantee Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE).
He said collateral free agricultural loans to Rs50 lakh and collateral free crop loans upto Rs2 lakh could be extended backed only by the CGTA guarantee.
“In order to have a holistic development and transformation of the agriculture sector, the Swaminathan Committee on Farmers may be implemented in right earnest on a fasttrack mode,” he added.
He also reiterated the State’s demand for increasing the minimum support price (MSP) for crops, mainly of paddy.
“Though the announcement made in the Union Budget that the MSP for all crops will be fixed at one-and-half-times of the production cost is a welcome one, I am of the view actual cost of production be taken into consideration. We are keenly waiting for the modalities of calculation,” said the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister also mentioned that the State Government would consider joining the Ayushman Bharat scheme if the concerns of the State are addressed adequately.
Notably, the State Government has launched its own scheme, the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, to provide healthcare to people.