Farmer suicides: Kerala CM asks banks to stop loan recovery

Following a series of suicides by debt-ridden farmers in Kerala, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan Wednesday asked banks to halt recovery proceedings on loans taken by them in line with the moratorium announced by the government.

In a meeting held with the representatives of the State Level Bankers' Committee (SLBC) here, he said the state government had announced a slew of relief measures, including extending till December 31 the moratorium on repayment of all loans taken by farmers.

Vijayan also requested the banks to have an empathetic approach towards farmers and understand the difficulties faced by them due to the recent floods and the resulting crop loss, Chief Minister's Office said here in a statement.

"Considering the situation, the banks should cooperate with the state government completely. In view of the moratorium, there should be no recovery procedures or other such actions," he said, adding no banks should be allowed to violate the order.

Asking the banks not to deny ...