Loans of over 5 lakh farmers waived: Min

RANCHI: The Jharkhand government has waived off the loans of more than five lakh farmers of the state since the end of 2019, agriculture minister Badal Patralekh claimed on Wednesday.
Speaking at a seminar on ‘International Year of Millets – 2023’ in Ranchi’s Hesag, Patralekh claimed that the incumbent government has allocated more than 4,500 crore for the welfare of the state’s farmers in the past four years.Patralekh was addressing a gathering of agricultural officers of the districts at the seminar.
The minister, however, expressed his dissatisfaction over the lack of knowledge among the farmers about the welfare and hand-holding schemes being run by the government.
“Nearly 80% people of Jharkhand are dependent on agriculture but not all of them have been able to avail the benefits being offered by the government. Agriculture contributes to 14% of the state’s GDP but we want to increase its share to 20%,” he claimed. tnn