Even as hordes of farmers are celebrating the implementation of the agricultural debt waiver scheme in the state, Purshottam Das, a farmer from Barwala, is cursing the Government for not extending the benefits to law-abiding citizens like him.

“Tell me why am I not a beneficiary of the loan waiver scheme? Is it my fault that I have been repaying the instalments on the Rs 45,000 loan that I took on May 30, 2007? Is it my fault to be honest? Why should I not get any benefit of the waiver while those who did not care to repay the loan have been bailed out?” he asks, still finding it very difficult to understand why his name does not figure in the name of the beneficiaries.

“What justice is this and what is the message the Government wants to give to the farmers,” questions Purshottam Das.

Das says having learnt his lesson now, he will be more careful next time he takes a loan. “I will make sure I don’t repay the loan. After all, it pays to be a defaulter rather than paying back instalments on time,” he says.

The bank and credit society officials, too, are a worried lot. “Many farmers who were defaulters earlier are now eligible for fresh loans, after their dues being waived off. We fear they won’t pay the instalments in future as well,” says Gaman Arora, manager, State Bank of India, Barwala branch.