DEBT RELIEF COMMISSION A NECESSITY ACROSS INDIA

TRUE to its word, the Congress government in Telangana has begun waiving crop loans, with over 11 lakh farmers getting relief of up to ₹1 lakh on Thursday.

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Loans of up to 2 lakh will be waived in two more phases by independence day. It is a bold move by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to waive loans in such a short span, unlike the previous BRS government that did it in phases between 2014 and 2023.

If the then BRS government shelled out close to ₹29,000 crore, the exercise now requires ₹31,000 crore. Before going into the need for frequent crop loan waivers, let us look at the criterion set by the government. It is good that it has excluded taxpayers, All India Service officers, government employees, present and former ministers and other such relatively well-off categories—unlike the BRS, which had declared a waiver for one and all. The purpose of big-ticket loan waivers is to rescue distressed farmers and, logically, the beneficiary must be identified. In that sense, the government guidelines are sensible, notwithstanding barbs from the opposition.

There is also a mechanism to address grievances.