The Telangana government on Thursday completed the third and final phase of its crop loan waiver program, disbursing Rs 5,644.24 crore to benefit over 4.46 lakh farmers.

The Congress government initiated the waiver process on July 8, fulfilling an election promise. The program, which covers loans up to Rs 2 lakh, was implemented in three phases. The first phase, costing Rs 6,098.93 crore, cleared loans for 1,150,193 farmers. The second phase, amounting to Rs 6,190.01 crore, assisted 640,823 farmers.

In total, Rs 17,934 crore has been deposited into farmers’ accounts across the three phases, with 2,237,848 farmers benefiting from the program.

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, speaking at a public meeting in Wyra, Khammam district, reiterated that the waiver was in line with a promise made by Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, in 2022. Reddy criticised opposition parties, specifically targeting BRS MLA T. Harish Rao, who had previously pledged to resign if the Congress government delivered on the loan waiver promise.

Reddy also took a jab at the BJP, claiming that despite the BJP securing eight Lok Sabha seats in Telangana, the central government had offered little in return. He accused BRS leaders of spreading misinformation about the Congress government and vowed to counter these claims with support from Congress activists.

In response, BRS MLA Harish Rao accused the Congress government of failing to deliver on its loan waiver promise. Rao questioned the figures provided by the Congress, arguing that the cost and number of beneficiaries did not align with their claims. He called the loan waiver promise a “blatant lie” and demanded accountability from the Congress government.

Earlier, Chief Minister Reddy also inaugurated Pump-2 of the Sitarama project in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, neighbouring Khammam.