New Delhi, December 27: Days after Congress president Rahul Gandhi said he would not allow the Prime Minister to "sleep" till he waives off the farm loans, PM Narendra Modi is reportedly mooting a big relief measure to the mitigate the agrarian distress. The announcement on the same could be expected by January 5, when the Winter Session of the Parliament will conclude, a report said.
A high-level meeting to discuss the agrarian sop was held at PM Modi's residence, which was attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh and BJP president Amit Shah, reported NDTV citing sources. Universal Basic Income to be Rolled Out by Narendra Modi Government Before 2019 Lok Sabha Elections: Report.
While the Centre had earlier told the Parliament that it is not considering a loan-waiver programme on the national scale, speculations are rife that the government would take steps which could ensure the minimum support prices (MSP) to the farmers.
One of the schemes which could likely be implemented at pan-India level is the bhavantar yojana, introduced by the erstwhile Madhya Pradesh government headed by Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Under the scheme, the farmers were paid by the government the difference between the MSP and the market rate. The amount got directly credited into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.
Another measure which could be in the offing is an increase in the loan amount a farmer can avail using his Kisan Credit Card.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 27, 2018 06:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).