By Mala Karna, Kalyanpur, Apr. 11: With the agriculture sector being badly affected by the ongoing lockdown, Minister for Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperative of State 2 Shailendra Prasad Sah has declared a relief package for the State’s farmers that includes an interest waiver on their loans.

Informing that a budget of Rs 360 million, Rs 300 million from the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperative and Rs 60 million from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Planning, had been allocated for COVID-19 relief and recovery, Minister Sah said that the interest waiver was expected to minimise the damage caused by the lockdown on the State’s agriculture.

“This waiver will apply to all the fields of agriculture including, but not limited to, farming, floriculture, animal husbandry and pisciculture and the related businesses and industries,” he said.

He also said that a management committee would be formed in all the eight districts of the State under the leadership of the chairman of the respective District Coordination Committees.

The management committee would then look after the relief distribution process.

Similarly, he informed that the government would provide an interest grant on any agricultural loan issued by any bank or cooperative of the State.

All the loans issued by the bank or that will be issued by the bank from the beginning of the Nepali month of Chaitra 2076 to the end of the Nepali month of Ashad 2077 will be eligible to receive the grant.

Meanwhile, the economically disadvantaged people of Gangajali, Saptakoshi Municipality– 5, have staged a protest complaining that the relief provided to them is insufficient to meet their needs.

They have called the aid an act of fraud and argued the local government had cheated them in the name of relief.

However, the protesters were quickly calmed down by the police who talked to them about the ongoing lockdown and the need for social distancing.

The poor and daily-wage earners of the ward had received three kilograms of rice, one bar of soap and half a litre of cooking oil as relief while other local levels of Saptari are giving 15 kilograms of rice, two kilograms of pulses, one litre of cooking oil and one kilogram of salt.

This disparity between them and the others enraged them and they took to the streets.

But Dipak Chaudhary, the ward chairman, said that the relief materials were sent by the municipality and that the ward had no say in the matter.

The State 2 government had forwarded Rs 2.5 million, Rs 2 million, Rs 1.5 million and Rs 1 million to each metropolitan city, sub-metropolitan city, municipality and Gaunpalika respectively to provide relief to their needy citizens.