BJP Kisan Morcha national president Virender Singh on Friday sought that all States, including BJP-ruled Mahara-
shtra, should waive off farmers’ loan in line with the decision taken by the Yogi Adityanath-headed Uttar Pradesh Government which in its first Cabinet meeting decided to do away with unpaid loans of small and marginal farmers totaling Rs 36,359 crore.
Maharashtra Chief Mini-
ster Devendra Fadnavis has said the demand to completely waive farm loans could not be granted immediately as it will collapse the fiscal discipline.
The Morcha Chief also suggested that excess potatoes from UP should be used in the Mid-day Meal Scheme so that farmers could get their remunerative prices for their harvest which would otherwise go waste. UP produces 40 per cent of the total potato production in the country. He said not only potatoes even surplus vegetables could be used in Mid-day Meals to provide good returns to the farmers.
Singh, who was instrumental in drafting BJP’s poll promise to waive off farmers’ loans, said he was in favour that all States including Maharas-
htra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and others should waive off loans in line with the decision taken by the UP Government. “The fulfilling of loan waiver has ended the crisis of credibility in the country. This is a major step,” he said while interacting with newspersons here.
Answering a question, he, however, conceded that loan waiver was ‘a temporary solution’ to the crisis faced by the farmers. When his attention was drawn to RBI Governor Urjit Patel adverse comment on loan waivers, he said banks are run with the motive of business but a Government’s first priority is to be sensitive to humans. “Banks get 95 per cent of their loans paid back by farmers,” he said.
Asked whether Govern-
ment’s decision to allow zero duty sugar import would not harm the interest of domestic farmers, he said he would raise the issue with the Government. More steps are underway to benefit farmers which includes interest-free loans and supply of four to five milch cows to each farmer, he added.