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Seeking loan waiver has become fashion these days: Venkaiah Naidu
Kashmir Times. Dated: 6/23/2017 1:33:08 PM
NEW DELHI, June 22 (Agencies): Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday said that seeking loan waiver has become a fashion these days.
However at the same time, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said that loans should be waived off, but in extreme circumstances. He opined that loan waiver is not the final solution for the betterment of the farmers.
Criticising Naidu's statement over loan waiver, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said 36-40,000 farmers have committed suicide in the last three years, therefore calling loan waiver fashionable is a disrespect to our 'anndaata' (farmers)."
Naidu's statement comes after the Karnataka government on Wednesday announced waiving of crop loans of up to Rs 50,000 of over 22 lakh farmers from cooperative banks in the state.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday announced total waiver of entire crop loans for small and marginal farmers in Punjab.
The Maharashtra government alos has announced a loan waiver for farmers and decided to form a committee to decide the criteria of debt relief, after which cultivators called off their protests.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has ruled out central funding for any state's farm loan waiver.
"We have got Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act and fiscal deficit target, we intend adhering to it," the Finance Minister told reporters here during a press briefing when asked about the farmers' agitation demanding farm loan waiver in various states.
Madhya Pradesh has been witnessing widespread protests by farmers demanding loan waiver and remunerative prices for their produce. The number of farmer suicides in the state has gone up to 10. On June 6, five farmers were killed in police firing while another died of his injuries later in Mandsaur district.
Yogi Adityanath led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh had earlier announced a loan waiver of Rs 36,359 crore for small and marginal farmers in the state.