Farmers of Khasbahal panchayat are in a fix, as the bank to which their panchayat has been tagged as the service area is denying them loan on the Kishan Credit Card (KCC).
“We are facing this problem since last two years after our Panchayat was tagged to the Tukla branch of SBI. Previously, we were in the service area of the Utkal Gramin Bank, which provided loans to about 400 farmers regularly. The present BM is totally insensitive and non-cooperative,” lamented the farmers.
They have filed petitions with the district Collector, Nuapada, the Regional Manager, SBI, Balangir and also to the Chief Minister of Odisha, demanding easy agriculture loan during Kharif and Rabi seasons.
It is learnt from the SBI sources that, the nationalised banks are not providing loan to the farmers if the farmer applying for loan has no land patta in his name.
“This is totally arbitrary; the banks should not stick to such a norm as most of the pattas in our district are in joint holding. Farmers should be asked for submitting affidavits and legal hire certificates in such cases,” said Biju Jadav, a farmer. He also added that the women of the family are deprived of KCC, as most of their names do not appear in the family pattas.
“If our demand is not fulfilled in time, we shall be forced to agitate,” the farmers meanwhile have warned.