This Complaint coming up before us for hearing on 02-02-12 in the presence of Sri K.V.R.H. Prasad, advocate for the complainant and of Sri L. Vijay Kumar, advocate for opposite party, upon perusing the material on record and having stood over till this day for consideration this Forum made the following:-

O R D E R

Per Sri A. Hazarath Rao,  President:-

        The complainant filed this complaint u/s 12 of the Consumer Protection Act to declare that the outstanding loan amount of Rs.4,11,656.95ps to the credit of his accounts as per  the guidelines framed by the Union Government under the Agricultural Debt Relief Scheme has been discharged and for clearance certificate besides costs.

2.    In brief the averments of the complainant are hereunder:

The complainant owns and possesses Ac.2.21 in survey Nos.59/15 of Pathareddypalem village.   In the year 2003-04 the opposite party granted loans to the complainant vide                                A/c.Nos.30600783961 and 30630133258.  By virtue of the notice issued by the opposite party on 06-05-10 and 02-05-10 the complainant was due in a sum of Rs.1,68,640.95ps and Rs.2,43,016/- respectively.  The opposite party on 06-05-10 and on 02-05-10                       in writing informed the complainant that he was eligible for 25% of concession under Agricultural Debt Relief Scheme if pays 75% of loan amount on or before 30-06-10.   The complainant gave a suitable reply.   The complainant is a small farmer and is entitled to the waiver of entire loan amount.   Inspite of reply given by the complainant, the opposite party is demanding to pay the entire amount due.   The above conduct of the opposite party amounted to deficiency of service.   The complaint therefore be allowed.

3.   The contention of the opposite party in brief is hereunder:

        The complainant is not a consumer under the Consumer Protection Act.   The complainant on 13-03-03 applied to the opposite party for sanction of short term loan of Rs.1,50,000/- stating that she is cultivating Ac.12.21 of land.  Accordingly the opposite party sanctioned Rs.1,50,000/- on 13-03-03 to the complainant towards working capital on execution of necessary documents by her.   While seeking loan the complainant declared that she owns and possess Ac.2.21 in S.No.59/15 at Pathareddypalem village besides cultivating an extent of Ac.10.00 of land on lease and submitted lease agreement dated 04-01-03.  The complainant also created equitable mortgage over an extent of Ac.2.21 of his land for the said land in favour of the opposite party which is payable by 31-05-04.   The complainant falls under the category of other farmer and as such the opposite party got issued legal notice demanding the complainant to pay 75% of the eligible amount.   The complainant failed to pay the said amount.   Therefore the complainant is not entitled to the benefits of the said scheme and is liable to pay the amount.   The complaint therefore be dismissed.

4.   Exs.A-1 to A-4 on behalf of the complainant and Exs.B-1 to B-10 on behalf of opposite party were marked.

5.     Now the points that arose for consideration in this complaint are:

1. Whether the complainant is a small farmer within the scheme?
2. Whether the complainant is entitled to the benefits under the debt waiver scheme 2008?
3. Whether the complainant is entitled to get the entire loan waived?
4. To what relief?

6.   POINT No.1:-   Sanctioning of loan of Rs.1,50,000/- to the complainant by the opposite party and issue of Ex.A-2 and Ex.A-3 notices to the complainant were not in dispute.    Under Ex.A-3 dated 06-05-10 the opposite party informed the complainant that he was indebted in a sum of Rs.1,68,640.95ps by 30-06-10 and if pays Rs.75% from out of the above amount the loan gets discharged.  Under Ex.A-3 dated 02-05-10 the opposite party informed the complainant that she was indebted in a sum of Rs.2,43,016/- by               30-06-10 and if pays Rs.75% from out of the above amount the loan gets discharged.     

7.    In Ex.A-4 reply the complainant got it mentioned that she was cultivating Ac.2.21 cents of land comprised in different survey numbers of Pathareddypalem village.  To prove her contention the complainant relied on Ex.A-1 certificate issued by the Tahsildar, Chebrole Mandal on 30-01-09.    In Ex.A-1 certificate the Tahsildar, Chebrole Mandal, Guntur district mentioned in its body the nature of the land as wet while in the details column it was mentioned as dry land.   The affidavit of the complainant was silent regarding the nature of the land possessed by her and like so in the complaint. 

8.     To rebut it the opposite party relied on the lease deeds said to have been in favour of the complainant dated 04-01-03 (Ex.B-5).  Under Ex.B-5 lease agreement dated 04-01-03 the lease period was from 09-06-02 to 09-06-05 and the extent was Ac.10.00.   It is not the case of the complainant that she did not enter into the lease agreement contended by the opposite party.

9.     The relevant portion in the guidelines issued under the Debt Relief Scheme, 2008 are detailed hereunder:

1. Introduction:
   1. The Finance Minster, in his Budget speech for 2008-09, announced a Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme for farmers.
   2. Guidelines for implementation of the Scheme are given below.
2. SCOPE:
   1. The scheme will cover direct agricultural loans extended to marginal and small farmers’ and ‘other farmers’ by Scheduled Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks, Cooperative Credit Institutions (including Urban Cooperative Banks) and Local Area Banks (herein after referred to compendiously as “lending institutions”) as indicated in the Guidelines.
   2. The scheme shall come into force with immediate effect.
3. Definitions:
   1. Direct Agricultural Loans means Short Term Production Loans and Investment Loans provided directly to farmers for agricultural purposes.   This would also include such loans provided directly to groups of individual farmers (for example Self Help Groups and Joint Liability Groups), provided Banks maintain disaggregated data of the loan extended to each farmer belonging to that group.
   2. Short Term Production Loan means a loan given in connection with the raising of crops which is to be repaid within 18 months.   It will include working capital loan, not exceeding Rs.1 lakh, for traditional and non traditional plantations and horticulture.
   3. -
   4. -
   5. Marginal Farmer means a farmer cultivating (as owner or tenant or share cropper) agricultural land up to 1 hectare (2.5 acres).
   6. Small farmer means a farmer cultivating (as owner or tenant or share cropper) agricultural land of more than 1 hectare and up to 2 hectares (5 acres)
   7. Other Farmer means a farmer cultivating (as owner or tenant or share cropper) agricultural land of more than 2 hectares (more than 5 acres).

Explanation:

1. -
2. -
3. In case of a farmer who has obtained investment credit for allied activities where the principal loan amount does not exceed Rs.50,000/-, he would be classified as “small and marginal farmer” and, where the principal amount exceeds Rs.50,000/- he would be classified as ‘other farmer’, irrespective in both cases of the size of the land holding, if any.

4.   Eligible amount:

          4.1   The amount eligible for debt waiver or debt relief, as              the case may be (hereinafter referred to as the                           eligible amount) shall comprise of:

          a) In the case of a short-term production loan, the                             amount of such loan (together with applicable interest);

          i) Disbursed up to March 31, 2007 and overdue as on                                December 31, 2007 and remaining unpaid until                                  February 29, 2008.

          ii) restructured and rescheduled by Banks in 2004 and in                    2006 through the special packages announced by                                 the Central Government, whether overdue or not; and

          iii) restructured and rescheduled in the normal course                up to March 31, 2007 as per applicable RBI guidelines                 on account of natural calamities, whether overdue

               or not.

5. Debt Waiver:

          5.1 In the case of a small or marginal farmer the entire                             eligible amount shall be waived.

6. Debt Relief:

          6.1   In the case of ‘other farmers’,  there will be a one          time settlement (OTS) Scheme under which the farmer will be given a rebate of 25 per cent of the    ‘eligible amount’ subject to the condition that the           farmer pays the balance of 75 percent of the eligible     amount’;

10.   As per the above scheme small farmer means a farmer cultivating (as owner or tenant or share cropper) agricultural land of more than 1 hectare and up to 2 hectares (5 acres) and other farmer means a farmer cultivating (as owner or tenant or share cropper) agricultural land of more than 2 hectares (more than 5 acres).   

11.   The extent of land mentioned by her in her complaint as well as in the affidavit if clubbed together with the extent of land taken on lease the complainant comes under the purview of other farmer.   The contention of the opposite party giving Ex.A-2 and A-3 notices treating the complainant as other farmer is having considerable force.               The complainant in this case and the complainants in C.C. No. 130/11, 131/11, 133/11, to 135/11 are inter-related to each other.  The complainant failed to utilize the advantage provided by the opposite party under Exs.A-2 and A-3 notices.   We therefore opine that the complainant is not a small farmer within the meaning of the said scheme and answer this point against the complainant. 

12.  POINTS 2 AND 3:-   In view of above finding, we answer these points against the complainant. 

13.  POINT No.4:-   In view of above findings, in the result the complaint is dismissed with costs of Rs.1000/- to the opposite party.    The above amount should be paid within a period of six weeks from the date of receipt of the copy of the order.

        Typed to my dictation by Junior Stenographer, corrected by us and pronounced in the open Forum dated this the 14^th day of February, 2012.

MEMBER                                             MEMBER                                             PRESIDENT

APPENDIX OF EVIDENCE

DOCUMENTS MARKED

For Complainant:

For opposite party: 

                                                                                                      PRESIDENT

CC 132 OF 2011

Ex.A-1 = Ac.2.21 body lo wet land particulars dry land pass book not filed.

Ex.B-5 Lease agreement dated 04-01-03 lease period one year.  10 acres of land in S.No.304 of Budampadu village.  Same was mentioned in her loan application dated                    13-03-03 (Ex.B-1) and (Ex.B-6 dated 18-08-04).