After MP, Rajasthan government announces farm loan waiver of upto Rs 2 lakh

PTI File photo

Jaipur: The Congress appears in a rush to fulfil one of its key pre-poll promises and after Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan became the second state to announce a farm loan waiver this week.

The Ashok Gehlot-led government here announced on Wednesday that farm loans of upto Rs 2 lakh would be waived off in a bid to ease the burden on farmers. According to news agency ANI, the state government will bear a burden of Rs 18,000 crore.

The decision follows the move of the Kamal Nath-led government in Madhya Pradesh which, on Monday had paved the way for farm loan waivers of upto Rs 2 lakh - from nationalised and/or co-operative banks - till March 31 of 2018.

Waiving off farm loans figured prominently in Congress manifestos in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan - two states where the party roared back to power. Looking to shove the internal disputes between its leaders regarding who would be the CMs here, the Congress has rushed to clear the way for farm loan waivers. Political analysts feel that apart from the anti-incumbency factor, Congress benefited from making farmer issues their rallying cry in the run-up to the elections here and Chhattisgarh.