Bhubaneswar: With the state cabinet deciding to give fresh loans to pest-affected farmers for Rabi cultivation, the Cooperation Department has asked the Registrar of Cooperative Society and Orissa State Cooperative Bank to speed up the relief measures.
Cooperation Secretary Ranjana Chopra, in her letter, to the Registrar of Cooperative Society and Managing Director of Orissa State Cooperative Bank, has said: “Wherever members of PACs are interested to avail crop loan, this should be provided within a period of 15days from the date of their application positively.”
She further wrote that since the crop loans financed during Kharif 2017 will be due for repayment March 25, 2018, there shouldn’t be any difficulties for providing fresh dose of finance to the affected farmers.
The secretary also asked the Registrar of Cooperative Society and the bank to take necessary steps to sensitise the farming community to go for massive cultivation of various crops during the current Rabi and also about loan facility to prevent farmers from knocking the doors of money lenders for the purpose.
She asked the registrar to expedite steps to organise joint liability groups by covering maximum number of share croppers/orgal lessees to provide them credit during the current Rabi 2017-18.
Ranjana Chopra also asked the Registrar, Cooperative Society to extend the due dates of crop loans from March 25, 2018 to September 30, 2018 as part of government’s decision to convert short term loans to medium term loans for farmers affected by the pest attack.
She said in case of 33 per cent to 50 per cent crop damage, loans will be converted into medium term repayable in two years with a moratorium of one year, and in case of crop damage above 50 per cent, loans will be made repayable in five years with one year moratorium.
Modalities for input subsidy fixed
Bhubaneswar: Setting aside controversies over the mode of payment of agriculture input subsidy to the affected farmers on account of crop loss due to pest attack, state government Thursday issued modalities for the payment of the subsidy.
Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Bishnupada Sethi has issued the modalities and asked all collectors to follow it. In August 2015, the SRC had issued similar modalities to collectors following crop loss due to drought.
Accordingly, any farmer, whose crop was affected by 33 per cent or more, will get the subsidy. The agriculture input subsidy will be provided to actual farmers, including share croppers and lessees based on field enquiry and verification. It means the land owners, who have leased their farm land to sharecropper, will not be eligible for the input subsidy.
Farmers allotted land under the Forest Rights Act will also be provided the subsidy. However, the crops cultivated on encroached government land will not be provided compensation, it said. “In case of other privileged Rayats like widow and differently-abled persons, etc., agriculture input subsidy shall be paid to the Rayats,” read the letter.
“Government land under unauthorised occupation/encroachment shall not be taken into consideration for enumeration for payment of agriculture input subsidy,” said the SRC. Continued on P 5
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