Congress demands full loan waiver to Maha farmers, akin to Telangana

Mumbai: The Congress on Wednesday demanded a blanket farmers' loans waiver in Maharashtra on the lines of Telangana in view of the series of natural and economic crises plaguing the farmers in this state.

The Congress government in Telangana has taken a bold decision of farmers’ loans write-off and the MahaYuti regime here should follow suit, state Congress President Nana F. Patole said.

"Farmers here are reeling under several natural and man-made crises. The prices of agricultural produce have plummeted while the agriculture input costs have skyrocketed and it is the duty of the state government to support the food-givers in their hour of need," he said.

He said that Maharashtra's farmers have been hit by drought or floods in different parts of the state this year like the deluge in Konkan, western, and northern Maharashtra while in some parts of Marathwada and Vidarbha, the farmers are still waiting for sufficient rains with a threat of re-sowing looming ahead as monsoon plays truant.

The alarming situation is further compounded by the rampant spread of spurious seeds and fertilisers, and no benefit from the crop insurance schemes, which, in turn, have spurred suicides by the desperate farmers, said the state Congress chief.

"In the past six months alone, 1,727 farmers have ended their lives, the farming community is passing through an extremely critical period and urgently needs the government’s support by way of a complete loan waiver," Patole said.

He said a Congress delegation had met Governor Ramesh Bais and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) had raised the loan waiver issue in the budget session of the Maharashtra Legislature last month, but the state government continues to ignore the tillers’ plight. Even expectations of some relief from the Union Budget 2024-2025 presented in Parliament on Tuesday proved to be a huge disappointment for the farming community all over, "proving the government is anti-farmer", he added.

"Instead of supporting the builders and big businessmen by writing off their dues, the government should concentrate on the poor and distressed agriculturists. In case the government fails to act, then the MVA will do the needful after the October Assembly elections," Patole asserted.