Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh Wednesday sought a revision in the criteria for loan waiver to farmers, saying only 76 percent of farmers will benefit from the relief announced by the government in the national budget.
Deshmukh said the proposed loan waiver announced for farmers by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram was historic, but would not benefit all farmers unless the eligibility criterion was increased to a minimum five hectares.
Chidambaram had announced a one-time loan waiver of a whopping Rs. 600 billion to cover an estimated 40 million small and marginal farmers possessing up to two hectares of land.
'I am pursuing the matter with the government and our party president Sonia Gandhi and hope some positive result will come out,' Deshmukh told reporters after finalizing the state's Rs. 250 billion plan outlay for 2008-09 with the Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
'There are an estimated 2.5 million farmers in Maharashtra having taken loans from different financial institutions, out of which 1.8 million stand to benefit from the loan waiver. All farmers from the state should get the benefit. For this, the criteria have to be upwardly increased.'
Deshmukh earlier met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and requested her to intervene so that all the needy farmers stand to benefit from the government's scheme.
'She has promised to look into the matter,' he said.
Deshmukh said that his government would concentrate on streamlining infrastructure in the urban as well as semi-urban areas, with a special focus on power and irrigation sector.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/indiaabroad/20080305/r_t_ians_nl_politics/tnl-deshmukh-wants-loan-waiver-eligibili-a4b7bec_1.html
Deshmukh said the proposed loan waiver announced for farmers by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram was historic, but would not benefit all farmers unless the eligibility criterion was increased to a minimum five hectares.
Chidambaram had announced a one-time loan waiver of a whopping Rs. 600 billion to cover an estimated 40 million small and marginal farmers possessing up to two hectares of land.
'I am pursuing the matter with the government and our party president Sonia Gandhi and hope some positive result will come out,' Deshmukh told reporters after finalizing the state's Rs. 250 billion plan outlay for 2008-09 with the Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
'There are an estimated 2.5 million farmers in Maharashtra having taken loans from different financial institutions, out of which 1.8 million stand to benefit from the loan waiver. All farmers from the state should get the benefit. For this, the criteria have to be upwardly increased.'
Deshmukh earlier met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and requested her to intervene so that all the needy farmers stand to benefit from the government's scheme.
'She has promised to look into the matter,' he said.
Deshmukh said that his government would concentrate on streamlining infrastructure in the urban as well as semi-urban areas, with a special focus on power and irrigation sector.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/indiaabroad/20080305/r_t_ians_nl_politics/tnl-deshmukh-wants-loan-waiver-eligibili-a4b7bec_1.html
