Maharashtra govt trying to reduce number of farmers eligible for loan waiver: Congress

Congress demanded that farmers who turned defaulters this year be made eligible for the loan waiver

The state Congress unit has alleged that the government was planning to change norms to keep a major chunk of beneficiaries out of the gamut of the Rs34,000-crore loan waiver. The party has also threatened to move court if any such move is taken by the government.

Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant alleged that Maharashtra government has given the benefit only to 24,131 farmers against applications by 45,000 farmers. (File photo)

Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant has also demanded extension of the cut-off date for the beneficiaries to March 1, 2008, instead of April 1,2009. He has also demanded that the farmers turned defaulters this year owing to the failed monsoon should also be included in waiver by extending the cut-off date to June 30, 2017.

Sawant said that government’s policy on the agrarian crisis has been exposed. “The biggest example is the interim loan waiver of Rs10,000 announced by the government in June. The government has given the benefit only to 24,131 farmers against applications by 45,000 farmers. Against the registered number of 1.36 crore farmers, very few got the benefit, proving the inefficiency of the government. The farmers in parts of the state are fighting a drought-like situation owing to prolonged dry spell, but the government has not taken any cognisance as yet,” he said.