Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 30 : Farmers in Tamil Nadu protested in front of the Coimbatore Collectorate on Saturday against the state government's farm loan waiver slab and demanded a complete loan waiver for all farmers.
Speaking to ANI, T Venugopal, State President of the Tamil Nadu Farmers' Association, said the decision was taken without consulting farmer associations and would not benefit the farming community.
"Tamil Nadu farmers did protest in front of the Coimbatore Collectorate against the Tamil Nadu government farm loan waiver slab. Farmers raised strong objections and said that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has no knowledge about farming and he had made this announcement without consulting farmer associations," he said.
He added that the current loan waiver structure would not help farmers in the state.
"This farm loan waiver will not benefit anyone in Tamil Nadu. We demand the farm loan waiver for all farmers. Just because of the loan waiver made by the previous government, farm suicides were not reported in Tamil Nadu," he added.
Earlier on Friday, the farmers staged a protest in front of the Perambalur district Collector's office, alleging that the state government had failed to fulfil promises of the crop loan waiver scheme made during the election campaign.
The protestors, many of whom wore black cloth over their heads and carried black flags, demanded that the Tamil Nadu government review the loan waiver scheme and implement the assurances made to farmers before the Assembly elections.
The demonstration was triggered by dissatisfaction over the cooperative crop loan waiver scheme announced by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government led by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay. Farmers claimed that the scheme differed significantly from commitments made in the party's election manifesto.
According to protesting farmers, Chief Minister Vijay had promised before the elections that crop loans of small and marginal farmers owning less than five acres of land would be waived completely, while larger farmers would receive a 50 per cent waiver on their outstanding loans.
However, farmers alleged that the scheme announced by the government introduced maximum limits and a graded waiver structure, placing a ceiling on eligible loan amounts. Under the new framework, loans exceeding specified limits would reportedly qualify for a waiver of only Rs 5,000, a provision that farmers described as inadequate and misleading.