Tamil Nadu Farmers Protest for Full Crop Loan Waiver as Poll Promise
Members of the All India Kisan Sangh (AIKS) staged a demonstration in Coimbatore on Monday, demanding a full waiver of crop loans taken from cooperative banks. The farmers urged the state government, led by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), to fulfill its election promise of unconditional loan relief.
In a petition submitted to the Coimbatore District Central Cooperative Bank, AIKS functionaries highlighted the challenges faced by farmers in the district, including climate change impacts, labour shortages, high wages, rising fertiliser costs, crop damage by wild animals, water scarcity, and increased fuel expenses. These factors, they argued, have severely affected farmers' ability to repay loans.
The protesters stated that the partial loan waiver announced earlier by the government, and later modified, was insufficient to revive the agricultural sector. They expressed distress over instructions issued to farmers to repay pending loans, with warnings of additional interest charges.
Citing the example of the Maharashtra government's complete crop loan waiver, the protesters called on Chief Minister to announce a similar measure. Until then, they demanded that cooperative banks desist from forcing farmers to repay pending loans.
