C'garh: Cong raises issue of compensation, farm loan waiver

The issue of compensation and loan waiver for the drought-affected farmers rocked the Chhattisgarh Assembly today.
During the Question Hour, Congress MLA from Akaltara Chunnilal Sahu sought to know whether compensation had been disbursed to all the drought-hit farmers in his constituency.
Revenue Minister Premprakash Pandey said 6,877 of 11,366 farmers in the constituency had got the compensation while the process of distribution to the remaining 4,489 was on.
The state Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel said the fact that farmers in many parts of the state had not got compensation shows the apathetic attitude of the government.
Chief Minister Raman Singh had announced in the previous Assembly session that in all the 117 drought-hit tehsils, if a farmer pays off 75 per cent of the agricultural loan, the rest would be waived. But in many cases, farmers did not get waiver even after paying off 75 per cent amount at one go, he said.

Pandey said the government had announced this concession for the drought-affected farmers in the 117 tehsils, and it would be implemented.
Interrupting him, Baghel said the Chief Minister had promised the loan waiver for every farmer in these areas but now it was saying only those affected by the drought can avail it.
Other Congress legislators raised slogans, accusing the government of not helping the farmers. Subsequently, they staged a walk-out.