The Government on Monday has announced that farmers now can use old Rs 500 notes at the state-owned outlets to purchase to purchase seeds.
The announcement by the Finance Ministry came a day after the Centre allowed the farmers to make cash withdrawals up to Rs 25,000 per week against snctioned crop loans.
West Bengal Chief Minsiter Mamata Banerjee, who is trying to stitch up a rainbow coalition against demonetisation, asked the Centre to come up with a proper plan of action instead of “announcing new changes” everyday. “The lower middle class, traders, daily wagers, housewives are the worst sufferers,” she said.
Farmers were gearing for the Rabi season with the onset of winter. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s November 8 demonetisation announcement has taken a toll on rural population as the agriculture sector is entirely cash-dependent. Cash crunch meant that farmers had no money to pay farm hands, threatening production of key commodities.
Sourced from agencies, feature image courtesy: assets.bwbx.io
