Cong demands loan waiver for farmers in Uttarakhand

Opposition Congress in Uttarakhand has demanded payment of dues to sugarcane cultivators, loan waiver for farmers of the state on the lines of their Uttar Pradesh counterparts and regularisation of guest teachers.
Talking to reporters here PCC president Kishore Upadhyaya said he had written to Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat reminding him of his pre-poll promise of settling the dues of sugarcane farmers within 15 days of coming to power.
"It is more than a fortnight since he (Rawat) took oath but the promise is yet to be fulfilled. If the government forgets pre-poll promises like his it will be a matter of concern for the people of the state," he said yesterday.

Noting that Haridwar and Udhamsingh Nagar are the two districts in the plains where sugarcane growing is prevalent, Upadhyaya said the new season for plantation of the crop has begun but last year's arrears had not yet been paid.
Terming it a matter of concern, he asked the chief minister to immediately take steps about it.
Citing the example of Uttar Pradesh where farmers had been exempted from repaying loans up to Rs 1 lakh recently, the Congress leader said farmers of Uttarakhand should also get a similar waiver.

"Our farmers both in the hills and the plains have suffered natural calamities for several years which have hit them hard economically. Hence we demand that they should also be exempted from repaying their loans," he said.

Upadhyaya said guest teachers had been appointed by the previous government to address the problem of shortage of teachers in schools especially in the remote hill areas.
"The tenure of their services is over now. But we demand that they should be regularised in view of the fact that their services are still needed," he said.