Suicides by farmers increased after a loan waiver of Rs 70,000 crore was announced by the previous UPA Government in 2008, Union Minister Parshottam Rupala said on Tuesday.
Rupala, Union Minister of state for agriculture, also said an audit conducted after the announcement of the mega loan waiver scheme had found that people who were not farmers were also given the loan waiver.
"There was an increase in farmers suicides after the Rs 70,000 crore loan waiver scheme was announced," he said during Question Hour.