Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Monday said his government was taking several measures for economic and social development of the farmers.
The present state government since coming to power has made elaborate plans for the growth of agriculture as this sector contributes nearly 19 per cent to the states GDP, Sonowal said while launching Farmers Credit Subsidy Scheme.
Schemes like Chief Minister Sammagra Grammya Unnayan Yojana Farmers Credit Subsidy Scheme have been launched so that the farmers of the state become economically self- sufficient and also to help them to educate their children using latest technology and empower them technologically, he said.
The scheme has been launched to double the income of farmers by 2022.
“This scheme has been launched today on the day of Krishak Swahid Divas to honour the martyrdom of nearly 140 peasants who laid their lives in 1894 protesting against the increasing land tax rate and other exploitation by the British Raj,” Sonowal added.
He also handed over a cheque bearing the state governments contribution to the scheme to the SBI so that the bank in turn can credit the subsidy to the beneficiary account.
The farmers Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme has three different plans in it. First is the Assam Farmers Credit subsidy Scheme under which all short term crop loans availed from Scheduled Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks and the Assam Cooperative Apex Bank will be availed at 25 per cent government subsidy for any loan availed between April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019.
Secondly under Assam Farmers Interest Relief Scheme, farmers can avail short term crop loan up to Rs two lakh at zero per cent rate of interest in the state and thirdly, the scheme will provide a one time cash incentive up to Rs 10,000 per account for activating the overdue and NPA KCC account provided the account will turn into standard account. Sonowal also said that there should be a team consisting of farmers, bankers and the government to provide financial help and logistic support for the farmers to enhance agricultural output in the state. (PTI)
