Ongole: SC 'defaulters' under LPS to get relief

Ongole: The State government is finally giving relief to 17,189 SC families in the State, who are not able to get various benefits as they are listed as defaulters under Land Purchase Scheme (LPS). The district-level officers are waiving loans and interest up to Rs 1 lakh, which was due by the SC beneficiaries to the government agencies after the formal decision is made and instructions are given 13 years ago.

The State government has provided hundreds of acres of land in all districts to the SCs, under Land Purchase Scheme when necessary. As part of the scheme, the beneficiary contribution or the margin money is also provided by the government agencies by mortgaging the land with them. When the beneficiary pays the total loan amount, along with the interest, the assigned land will be completely handed over to the beneficiary in their name.

In March 2008, the then Chief Minister Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy announced in the Assembly that the government was waiving off the then outstanding loans of the borrowers under the SC, ST, BC, Minorities, women and disabled welfare corporations, and set the maximum waiver to the beneficiary at Rs 1 lakh. The necessary orders were issued under the GO RT 492 later, but many of the SC beneficiaries, who got land under LPS, didn't get the benefit and their lands are still under mortgage.

Since 1988-89, a total of 17,884.37 acres of land was purchased with funds from the government and loan was given to 17,189 beneficiaries in 13 districts across the State including 3,052.57 acres of land for 3,785 beneficiaries in Prakasam district. The land was mortgaged by National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation in the name of Andhra Pradesh Scheduled Castes Cooperative Finance Corporation Limited. Though the beneficiaries are enjoying the land, they are not entitled to many welfare programmes and subsidies as their names are not entered into the Revenue records as the owners of the government assigned lands due to their failure to repay loans since then.

Meanwhile, Kandukur MLA Manugunta Mahidhar Reddy wrote a letter to the government on March 1, 2021, requesting the officials to provide loan waiver to the SCs, who are beneficiaries under LPS, as per the GO RT 492 issued in 2009.

The government ordered the Collectors of all districts to take necessary action on the mortgaged lands as per the said GO by verifying the records.

SC Corporation ED at Prakasam district Tutika Srinivasa Viswanadh informed The Hans India that they are conducting land verification, identification of the beneficiary, document and land verification in the prohibited records to make sure the original SC beneficiary receives the benefit. He said that due to the loan and interest waiver to a maximum of Rs 1 lakh, the SC beneficiaries under the LPS will get their land in their name so that they could receive benefits like YSR Rythu Bharosa, subsidies under various programmes like zero budget natural farming and others from now onwards.