<p>Even as thousands of farmers hit the streets of Bengaluru in protest, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Monday sought “some more time” for the crop loan waiver to be implemented. He also assured sugarcane growers that their problems would be addressed. </p>.<p>“Loan waiver is not the solution for all problems, but becoming debt-free will help start afresh. The government has come forward to waive off not only cooperative loans but also those in commercial banks. This is in the last stage and will be implemented soon,” Kumaraswamy said in a statement. </p>.<p>On having made remarks that seemed to have incited the protests, Kumaraswamy said: “I was hurt when some comments were made about me during a protest in Belagavi. But my reaction did not have any mala fide intention. It’s unfortunate that my words have not been fully understood.”</p>.<p>The ambitious crop loan waiver will need about Rs 48,000 crore, Kumaraswamy said. “Every loan account needs to be verified. This requires time. I request farmers to have patience,” he said, adding that officials were burning the midnight oil to make the loan waiver happen. “But nothing can happen overnight.”</p>.<p>The State government has taken steps to address woes faced by sugarcane growers ever since the JD(S)-Congress coalition headed by him came to power six months ago, he said. “We have announced an aid of Rs 20 crore for the Bidar Cooperative Sugar Factory. I have convened a meeting at Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday to discuss the problem of sugarcane growers and sugar factories, which I’m confident will lead to resolution,” Kumaraswamy added. </p>.<p><strong>FOLLOW DEVELOPMENTS</strong> <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/liveblog/bengaluru-news-november-19-703729.html" target="_blank">LIVE</a> </p>.<p><strong>ALSO READ: </strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/state/karnatakas-sugarcane-crisis-703743.html" target="_blank">Karnataka's sugarcane crisis explained</a><br /><br /> </p>
<p>Even as thousands of farmers hit the streets of Bengaluru in protest, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Monday sought “some more time” for the crop loan waiver to be implemented. He also assured sugarcane growers that their problems would be addressed. </p>.<p>“Loan waiver is not the solution for all problems, but becoming debt-free will help start afresh. The government has come forward to waive off not only cooperative loans but also those in commercial banks. This is in the last stage and will be implemented soon,” Kumaraswamy said in a statement. </p>.<p>On having made remarks that seemed to have incited the protests, Kumaraswamy said: “I was hurt when some comments were made about me during a protest in Belagavi. But my reaction did not have any mala fide intention. It’s unfortunate that my words have not been fully understood.”</p>.<p>The ambitious crop loan waiver will need about Rs 48,000 crore, Kumaraswamy said. “Every loan account needs to be verified. This requires time. I request farmers to have patience,” he said, adding that officials were burning the midnight oil to make the loan waiver happen. “But nothing can happen overnight.”</p>.<p>The State government has taken steps to address woes faced by sugarcane growers ever since the JD(S)-Congress coalition headed by him came to power six months ago, he said. “We have announced an aid of Rs 20 crore for the Bidar Cooperative Sugar Factory. I have convened a meeting at Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday to discuss the problem of sugarcane growers and sugar factories, which I’m confident will lead to resolution,” Kumaraswamy added. </p>.<p><strong>FOLLOW DEVELOPMENTS</strong> <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/liveblog/bengaluru-news-november-19-703729.html" target="_blank">LIVE</a> </p>.<p><strong>ALSO READ: </strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/state/karnatakas-sugarcane-crisis-703743.html" target="_blank">Karnataka's sugarcane crisis explained</a><br /><br /> </p>
