Tamil Nadu reiterates halt on overdue crop loan recovery, asks farmers to report violations

Chennai, Oct 3 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Tamil Nadu government, led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, has reiterated that recovery of overdue crop loans issued to farmers by cooperative societies has been temporarily suspended, following complaints that some borrowers were receiving telephone calls seeking repayment.

In a statement, the government said the suspension applied to the collection of outstanding crop loans obtained through cooperative societies. It asked farmers to report any society that continued to contact them for recovery despite the instructions already issued.

The clarification came after complaints from farmers that attempts were being made over the phone to collect their overdue crop loan dues. The government brought the suspension to the attention of all farmers and provided a WhatsApp number for reporting such incidents.

According to the statement, the Registrar of Cooperative Societies has communicated the decision through a circular to regional registrars and managing directors of district central cooperative banks. These officials have been instructed to ensure that the recovery suspension is implemented across the cooperative societies concerned.

The government said directions had also been issued to all cooperative societies to comply with the circular without fail. Implementation of the instructions is being monitored to ensure that societies follow the temporary halt on collection. Farmers who receive calls or other communications from a cooperative society seeking repayment of overdue crop loans can lodge a complaint through the Cooperation Department’s official grievance redressal WhatsApp number, 98840 00845.

The complaint should include the mobile number from which the farmer was contacted, along with details of the cooperative society concerned, the statement said.

These particulars are required when reporting attempts to recover the outstanding loans.

The government’s latest communication reiterates the instructions already conveyed through the cooperative administration. It makes clear that societies must observe the suspension even as complaints about telephone calls seeking repayment are brought to the department’s attention.

The measure announced in the statement is a temporary suspension of recovery.

The statement does not describe it as a cancellation of the outstanding loans or announce a permanent exemption from repayment.

For farmers receiving repayment demands, the department has identified the WhatsApp grievance channel as the means to report the contact.

The government has asked borrowers to provide both the caller’s number and the society’s details so that the complaint identifies the source of the recovery attempt.

Source: IANS