Food and Civil Supplies Minister G.R. Anil expressed shock at the death of a 55-year-old farmer in Alappuzha on Saturday, but denied that delay in repayment of Paddy Receipt Sheet (PRS) loans by the government had impacted his CIBIL score.
Mr. Anil, in a statement, said the farmer, K.G. Prasad of Thakazhi, was paid for the paddy procured from him in the 2021-22 season. The PRS loan availed from Federal Bank on this account too had been repaid. In the 2022-23 season, 4,896 kg of paddy was procured from him. The price, ₹1,38,655, was sanctioned to him under the PRS loan scheme through Kerala Bank. The loan repayment date was not yet due.
This showed that the PRS loan dues had not affected his CIBIL score, the Minister said.
“Once paddy procurement is done, the payment is made to farmers under the PRS loan scheme for which the Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) stands guarantee. This arrangement helps to avoid payment delays resulting from the paperwork involved in securing the Central and State government shares. The PRS scheme does not entail any liability to the farmers. The principal and interest is repaid by Supplyco.”
Mr. Anil said the procurement price for the first crop of the 2023-24 season was scheduled to be disbursed to farmers from November 13. The government had taken all steps to ensure prompt payment.
