Mass rally by farmers demands loan waiver

Gadwal: Under the banner of the Nadigadda Rights Struggle Committee, a large gathering of farmers who had not received promised loan waivers marched to the office of the District Collector on Friday to submit a petition. Hundreds of farmers gathered outside the office, demanding that the Collector step out to hear their grievances. Responding to the protest, the Collector came outside, accepted their petition, and assured the crowd that he would bring their concerns to the government’s attention to ensure that families with unpaid agricultural loans would receive waivers.

Speaking on the occasion, Gongalla Ranjit Kumar from the Committee stated, “After Congress came to power, they promised to waive off farmers’ loans, yet even after ten months, loans under 2 lakhs remain unpaid. Additionally, the government had promised investment support under the Rythu Bharosa programme, but this too has not materialised. Even minor errors in Aadhaar cards, bank passbooks, or land documents are being used as excuses to deny loan waivers. We urge the Collector to immediately convene a meeting with bankers to resolve this issue,” he said.

Ranjit Kumar warned that if the government fails to implement a complete loan waiver soon, large numbers of farmers from Jogulamba Gadwal district will march to the Assembly to express their protest.