Marking the Independence Day, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will kick off the third phase of the farm loan waiver disbursals. The Government, which began the disbursals last month, had so far disbursed ₹12,000 crore, clearing dues of about 17.55 lakh farmers.

While the first two phases covered farm loans of ₹1 lakh and ₹1.50 lakh, the third phase would cover all the loans under ₹2 lakh.

The Chief Minister is expected to announce the third phase of disbursals at a public meeting at Wyra in Khammam district. 

A key poll promise made by the Congress, the farm loan waiver scheme is expected to cost the exchequer about ₹31,000 crore. Of this, the Government released ₹12,000 crore in the first two phases last month. The third phase is expected to cover 14.50 lakh farmers.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) alleged that scores of farmers were excluded from the scheme. “The Government had failed to give the financial assistance programme of Rythu Bandhu this time, denying the farmers much-needed financial support at the beginning of the kharif season,” BRS Working President K T Rama Rao said.

The party started a WhatsApp helpline to receive complaints from farmers who were denied crop loan waiver assistance. It alleged that over 72,000 farmers lodged their complaints on the helpline.