Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel made a significant election promise on Monday ahead of the November assembly elections. If the Congress retains power, he has promised to waive farm loan payments. Baghel emphasised the importance of farmers in the upcoming elections, stating that his government has already implemented various welfare schemes to benefit them. Baghel's aim is to secure more than 75 seats out of the 90-member House. He believes that the support of farmers, along with women, youth, and businessmen, will be instrumental in achieving this target.
"We have always been talking about providing empowerment to farmers of the state. We'll waive loans of farmers when we will form government in the state again," Baghel was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The Congress is facing stiff competition from the BJP, which is determined to regain power in the state.
Baghel emphasised the economic importance of farmers, claiming that "the stronger our farmers are, the stronger our economy will be". He emphasised that Chhattisgarh was relatively unaffected by the economic downturn, thanks in part to measures taken to help farmers.
"Centre has waived off loans of big industrialists, unlike the Centre, the state has waived off loans of small farmers, and the money has saved the state from the worst effects of the market," Baghel added.
BJP On Baghel's Announcement Of Loan Waiver:
Reacting to CM Bhupesh Baghel's announcement to waive off farm loans if Congress retains power in the upcoming Assembly polls, s BJP leader Brijmohan Agrawal said: "Where did they (Chhattisgarh government) waive off the (farm) loans? They had announced it earlier also. The farm debts were at Rs 25,000 crore and Rs 9,000 crore of loans were written off".
The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh stated that his government had already waived farmer loans, which had a positive impact on the state's economy. He also mentioned that the state government had launched several schemes, such as the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana and the Godhan Nyay Yojana, that had significantly improved the lives of the people in the region, PTI reported.
Baghel discussed his government's efforts to address tribal rights and bring peace to Bastar, a region that had previously experienced unrest. He also mentioned plans to procure paddy from farmers and launch a housing scheme to benefit the citizens of Chhattisgarh, the report said.
Regarding the promise of liquor prohibition, which could not be enforced due to an increase in the consumption of spurious alcohol, Baghel emphasised the need to eliminate addiction as a social evil.
The upcoming Chhattisgarh assembly elections will take place in two phases, on November 7 and 17, with vote counting scheduled for December 3. The Congress government's three major pro-farmer schemes have been pivotal in strengthening the party's position in rural and semi-urban areas over the last five years.
According to the report, when asked about discontent among some sitting Congress MLAs who were denied tickets for the polls, Baghel assured that the party was in dialogue with them to address their concerns. He also commented on the BJP's approach to the elections and its ticket distribution process.
Baghel concluded by addressing the issue of the old pension scheme implemented by his government, stating that it would not burden the state government until 2060. He also called on the Centre to return the Rs 17,000 crore deposited towards the new pension scheme (NPS), the PTI report said.