Bhubaneswar: Sending out a strong message to farmers who have taken crop loan from the government and used it for other purposes, the BJD government said Sunday it would put up the names of all such farmers on the notice board of gram panchayats (GPs).
“Many individuals have availed crop loan from the government at an interest rate of 1 per cent, but they have not used this for farming. To identify such persons, we have asked officials to widely circulate the names of such individuals,” cooperation minister Surya Narayan Patro said here Sunday.
“The names of these individuals would be circulated among the members of Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACSs) and published on the notice board of GPs,” he said.
“In the past, the government has not taken such an initiative against anyone. When it comes to farmers, the government wakes up and starts harassing them. Farmers have taken only small amounts from cooperative societies. While corporate houses and industrialists like Vijay Mallya have looted crores from banks and are going scot free, why the farmers would face such an insult,” asked Fakir Pradhan, a young farmer from Rayagada district.
“We are neither absconding nor are we reluctant to return the loan. Why should the government publish our names? If the government is doing this, it will harm the image and social reputation of the loanee farmers,” said farmer leader Akshya Kumar.
Biswa Bhusan Mohapatra, OP
