Distressed farmers in UP await their farm land auction

In Uttar Pradesh Bundelkhand district farmer's land is being auctioned due to their inability to pay loans. The issue came to light after the investigation of ETV Bharat and it was discovered that there is a loan of more than Rs 1 lakh to 15 farmers in Uttar Pradesh Cooperative Rural Development Bank, Hamirpur, 15 in Moudaha and 12 farmers in Rath.

Bundelkhand: Agrarian crisis in Uttar Pradesh's drought-hit region of Bundelkhand has turned worse, as farmers in distress are awaiting the auction of their own lands owing to their huge debt.

According to reports, banks in the district are preparing for auctioning of their main collateral i.e., land as a means to reduce bad loans.

Ram Vishal, a resident in Bundelkhand's Hamirpur district had taken a loan of Rs 70000 from the bank for farming and now it has increased to Rs 129000 owing to mounting interests.

Reportedly, the farming income has not yielded returns due to unending drought and marginal rainfall across the district.

As a result, the bank has decided to seize his land and auction it to recover the loan.

He hoped that he would get relief after the government's loan waiver scheme but to no avail.

The issue came to light after an ETV Bharat investigation and it was discovered that there is a loan of more than Rs 1 lakh to 15 farmers in Uttar Pradesh Cooperative Rural Development Bank, Hamirpur, 15 in Moudaha and 12 farmers in Rath.

On being asked about the issue, Bank Manager Rizwan Ahmed told that the government has instructed to take action against the defaulters above Rs 1 lakh.

These farmers do not come under the ambit of the government's debt waiver scheme.

As many as 41 farmers in the district owe an amount of Rs 93 lakh to the banks.

The bank has informed about the auction via the notice, on the other hand, the farmers are urging the government to intervene and save their land.