Ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled next month, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has promised a loan waiver to farmers in the event of the Congress returning to power.
Farm waiver is considered a key electoral promise that saw Congress returning to power in 2018 after a gap of 15 years in Chhattisgarh and one of the first decisions taken by the current Bhupesh Baghel government after it was formed was to waive off around ₹9,000 crores of loans owed by farmers. It also waived off another ₹350 crores of irrigation tax.
At a campaign speech in Sakti on Monday, Mr. Baghel made the announcement of another loan waiver and reiterated three promises his party made earlier: caste census [State-level survey], buying 20 quintals per acre of rice from farmers and providing 17.5 lakh houses to homeless.
