Bhubaneswar: Days after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced drought assistance package for the farmers who have suffered crop loss of 33 per cent and above during Kharif season 2017, the Odisha government today issued a notice to concerned officials with clear instructions to process loans for Rabi cultivation of affected farmers within 15 days of receiving application.
Co-operation Department secretary Ranjana Chopra in a letter addressed to the Registrar of Cooperative Societies and Managing Director, Odisha State Cooperative Bank, stated "The affected farmers should be provided with uninterrupted finance during the current Rabi season."
Similarly, she instructed that the loan should be disbursed within 15 days of an application.
"Availability of fresh crop loans during the Rabi season should be widely publicized so that the farming community should not knock the doors of money lenders for the purpose," she added.
Earlier on October 25, the Chief Minister had announced that farmers affected by drought in Kharif season shall be provided fresh finance for cultivation during Rabi season, which commenced from October 1, 2017.
Patnaik has also said that short-term Kharif loans advanced in the affected areas during Kharif-2017 shall be converted into medium term (Conversion) loans.
The due date of Kharif short-term loans advanced in the affected areas will be extended up to September 30, 2018 to facilitate conversion of such loans into medium term (Conversion) loans. For this, the Government of India will be requested to provide interest incentive of 3% for medium term (Conversion) loans i.e., at par with crop loans for prompt-paying farmers, he had said.