Date:03/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/03/stories/2008030370401200.htm

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Budget 2008-09

One of the key announcements in the Union budget of 2008-09 is the complete waiver of loans for small and marginal farmers. Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has also announced a one-time settlement of other farmers’ loans. The write-off, worth Rs.60,000 crore, will surely stimulate agricultural renewal and end the spate of farmers’ suicides, provided the deserving get the benefit.

Padmini Viswanathan,

Madurai

The complete waiver of agricultural loans worth Rs.60,000 crore is commendable. It should be ensured that the waiver applies only to farmers who could not repay their loans because of reasons beyond their control, even it takes time to identify such cases. It is obvious that Mr. Chidambaram has been impressed upon to present a populist budget with an eye on the next elections.

R. Madhavan,

Chennai

* * *

No doubt, Mr. Chidambaram’s intention in waiving farmers’ loans is noble. But the relief is meant for only those farmers who have a maximum of two hectares of land. Many farmers in Vidharbha own three or four hectares of land but are unable to pay their debts. And this is the region where suicides have been taking place in large numbers. Will the MPs of Maharashtra speak up for them?

N. Hariharan,

Coimbatore

* * *

It has been said that a farmer is born in debt, lives in debt and dies in debt. The loan waiver will prevent more farmers’ lives being lost. However, care should be taken to ensure that only the genuine benefit by the proposal.

K.B. Chandramouleeswaran,

Puducherry

* * *

The massive loan waiver is a quick fix solution for a problem that has its roots in the socio-economic structure. No doubt it has brought cheer to our farmers but a long-term solution is possible only when the vicious circle of farm lending at the grassroots level is broken, and policies to strengthen the rural agrarian economy are framed.

Pratima Vishnuprasad,

Kochi

* * *

The agrarian crisis can be solved only through a sustainable and institutionalised approach. An ad hoc approach, which is short-sighted or based on political considerations, is doomed to fail. Any long-term solution should be based on principles like increasing farm productivity, rationalising prices of farm outputs, evolving a mechanism that will enable farmers to get access to credit facilities directly, crop insurance and an efficient distribution system.

S. Himesh,

Bangalore

* * *

That the UPA government is clearly worried about the coming elections cannot be missed. Its anxiety to win the hearts of farmers in its last leg of governance is strange. The rise in the income tax limits is marginal with no relation to the rising costs of living and lowered value of money.

K.R.A. Narasiah,

Chennai

* * *

In one stroke, the Finance Minister has gained a major vote bank for the Congress. But he has set a bad precedent. Successive governments will hereafter have to dole out similar sops to farmers.

C.M. Umanath,

Kozhikode

* * *

Surely, the waiver could have been offered during the UPA government’s second or third year in power? Mr. Chidambaram and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have proved that they are politicians, eager to occupy their chairs after the next elections as well.

K. Sriram,

Vellore

* * *

What a cartoon (March 1)! The jubilant bullocks, exchanging complacent looks, the joyful farmer ploughing the land, and the contented woman in a striding posture with a pot of seeds are a picture of the agrarian euphoria ushered in by the Union budget.

B. Gurumurthy,

Madurai

* * *

The waiver given to farmers will surely repose their faith in the government. But as pointed out by experts, relief alone cannot sustain them in the long run. A long-term policy protecting their interests should be put in place at the earliest. Top priority should be given to dissemination of information to them on prices and choice of crops. There continue to exist villages that lack basic amenities. The vision for another Green Revolution should take care of these facts also. A policy to encourage the young to take to farming will also help.

Nirmala Narayanan,

Bangalore

* * *

The much expected restructuring of the income tax slab is undoubtedly a relief to the upper middle class, especially the salaried class employees. If the Finance Minister had slashed the service tax, it would have been a greater relief. The widening of the service tax base in the recent years has cast a heavy burden on the common man.

Jiji John Thomas,

Thiruvalla