Karnataka govt mulls waiver of 79.47 crore loan taken by farmer-victims of Covid
Bengaluru, July 14: As many as 10,187 farmers in Karnataka have died of COVID-19 and have left behind outstanding loans worth Rs 79.47 crore which the State government is likely write off, Co-operation Minister S T Somashekar said on Wednesday.
The loans were taken from the District Credit Cooperative (DCC), Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and the apex bank, the Minister said.
Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa is considering this and would decide on it in three-four days, he said.
"A meeting of the Apex bank board will be convened in three or four days and a decision will be taken. The Chief Minister and the government is always committed to come to the rescue of farmers in distress due to COVID, and effective measures are being taken to ensure that farmers can avail themselves of the loan in the days to come," he was quoted as saying by his office in a statement.
Last week, the Minister said the data of farmers who had succumbed to the virus is being gathered.
Today, he said, "It is the wish of the Chief Minister to come to the rescue of farmers who have died due to COVID, and the government should help the families of the deceased farmers who are in distress, and on his directions such a measure (loan waiver) is being considered."
According to him, a target to give Rs 15,300 crore short and medium-term crop loan to 24.50 lakh farmers was set in 2020-21, and the achievement was beyond the target as loans totalling Rs 17,108 crore were given to 25.67 lakh farmers, which is 114 per cent.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
