he Mamata Banerjee government has decided to disburse farm loans amounting to Rs 7,000 crore among farmers at a curtailed interest rate of 2 per cent through cooperative banks and cooperative societies.
The move is aimed at mollifying farmers, who find it difficult to get loans from commercial banks, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
“It has been noticed that lakhs of farmers, particularly those living in remote areas, don’t get support from commercial banks. We iwill disburse farm loans worth Rs 7,000 crore before March next year. This will boost the economy in the rural areas,” cooperation minister Arup Roy said on the sidelines of a programme at the New Secretariat building in Calcutta on Wednesday.