Govt freezes property attachment notice served to deceased Kuttanad farmer's family

Alappuzha: The Kerala government on Thursday froze the property attachment notice served to the family of K G Prasad, the Kuttanad farmer who ended his life in the face of mounting debt two months ago.

Kerala's Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Backward Classes K Radhakrishnan has sought a report from the Scheduled Caste Development Corporation on the matter.

The minister also issued directions regarding the settlement of the loan by extending a waiver to the maximum extent possible. “The minister has sought an urgent report from the Managing Director of the Corporation on the circumstances that led to the delivery of such a notice,” said an official.

The notice, served by the Scheduled Caste Development Corporation, asks the family to pay up dues worth Rs 17,600 in five days to avoid the attachment of their five cents property. It pertained to the repayment of Rs 60,000 that Prasad, the deceased farmer, had borrowed from the Alappuzha office of the Corporation in August 2022 in the name of his wife, Omana. Although Rs 15,000 was repaid on this account, the family has defaulted on its repayment since March last year.

Meanwhile, the distressed family is reported to have received a helping hand from a Mumbai-based Malayali. The person who sought anonymity has handed over the amount required to pay the dues to the Corporation, sources said.

Prasad (55), who had taken the extreme step in November last year, had left a suicide note in which he accused the State Government and certain banks of “pushing him into an acute financial crisis that forced him to take the extreme measure”. Having charged that none of the banks were ready to extend him a loan due to a low CIBIL score, he had also accused the state government of failing to make payment to the bank for the “PRS loan” taken and the interest thereof, further lowering his CIBIL score.