“Cash for Crop loan Scam ’Bank Manager in C.B.I. Net :Banker pushed more than Million Vidarbha Cotton Farmers in Money Leaders “Debt Trap” Nagpur -

“Cash for Crop loan Scam ’Bank Manager in C.B.I. Net :Banker pushed more than Million Vidarbha Cotton Farmers in Money Leaders “Debt Trap”

Nagpur -24^th June 2010

All efforts and bailout packages for vidarbha cotton farmers who are in the debt trap private money leader failed this year when bankers failed to provide top fresh crop loan to farmers as till date only 12% target of crop loan set by NABARD has been achieved thanks to apathy of Maharashtra administration and massive corruption in nationalized banks as yester C.B.I officials has arrested bank manager Mr. S.R. Nair of Allhabad Bank Bhamb-Raja Branch 160 k.m. south-west of Nagpur who was demanding Rs.2000 cash for giving Rs.22,000 crop loan to one distressed farmer of village Wadgoan-Gadhava identified as Nasir Mannat , kishor Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan andolan Samiti(VJAS) has informed today in the press note .

West vidarbha is reeling under drought and Govt. has ordered reconstruction of crop loan of all drought hit farmers but till date only 1.2 lakhs farmers as against the total 2 million debtrap farmers of region manage to get fresh crop loan even NABRD has set the crop loan target of Rs..2460 but bankers have disbursed only 256 crore as per official figure as on 23th June 2010 this is worst ever performance of agriculture credit and institutionalized crop loan to already agrarian crisis hit region which has almost nullified the effect of all bailout packages given by state and central Govt. since 2005 that cover Chief Minister Relief Package-2005 (Rs.1075 crore),Prime Minister Relief Package-2006(Rs.3750 crore) ,central govt. loan waiver-2008(Rs.71,000 crore) and Maharashtra Govt. extended loan waiver -2009 (Rs.6350 crore) ,Tiwari added.

‘In yavatmal district alone last bankers achieved 100% crop loan disbursement target this year they kept Rs.910 crore target and till date achieved Rs.234 crore which shows that bankers are not ready to give fresh crop loan to the drought hit farmer even after R.B.I. has issued orders more over C.B.I. raid on Bham-Raja Allhabad Bank has exposed the corruption and hostile functioning of banks ,there are reports of most branches of central bank of India which is leading bank in the district that manager are demanding money to disburse fresh crop loan but it is not possible to for every distressed debt trap farmers to go Nagpur C.B.I office and arrange trap ,we have demanding fresh crop loan to every drought hit farmers so that they are not forced to go to private money lender who are the main culprit of on going cotton farmers suicides but nobody in the administration even look at the our demand seriously resulting economic crisis and credit crunch in west vidarbha which has aggravated the on going agrarian crisis ,inviting more farm suicides in the region, farmers are urging central govt. intervention which is not coming that’s unfortunate’ Tiwari said .

As recent report of Dr. Narendra Jadhav committee which has bben accepted by Maharashtra Govt. clarified the bankers credit scenario in suicide prone west vidarbha which has clearly said that “ There is a need for restructuring of the rural financial institutions and also making them socially more sensitive. In the case of co-operative banks, suggestions made by the Vaidyanathan Committee be implemented expeditiously.

Agricultural Credit Planning

While providing credit, banks often place a number of undue restrictions on farmers by introducing rigid criteria about season, cropping pattern and the scale of finance. It is imperative to bring in some flexibility in this respect. In this regard, instead of the prevailing cropping pattern, an average cropping pattern could be used and a limit set accordingly. The task of reformulating the scale of finance should be delegated by the State Level Krishi Vikas Parishand to an independent professional institution.

Alternate to Money Lenders

The massive Debt-Waiver scheme has not addressed the indebtedness arising from the non-institutional credit. There is an imperative need to create an effective alternative to the prevailing system of moneylenders and relieving the farmers from their clutches. In this regard, a Plan for

‘Moneylender-free Village’ may be formulated on the following lines

1.Atleast one member of each family in the village should become a member of some Self-help Group (SHG) in the village.

2.Every rural and semi-urban branch of each bank should adopt one village in its jurisdiction.

3. Since at least one member of every family in the village would be a member of SHG and through the SHG to an institutional source of credit, a 100 per cent financial inclusion would be

achieved and over a three-year period the village can be free of indebtedness from moneylenders.”

report added but state administration ignored the report .