M A I N   N E W S

Pawar unsure if loan waiver would curb farmer suicides

Mumbai, March 1
Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar today said he was 'not sure' if suicides by farmers in his home state would stop as a result of the Rs 60,000 crore farmers relief package announced in the Union Budget.

“I cannot tell whether they (suicides) will stop...who commits suicides for what reasons,” Pawar said when asked if farmers' suicides in Vidarbha region will stop due to the package.

The Rs 60,000 package is part of the estimated amount of Rs 1,05,012 crore that is due from defaulters, who have taken loans from financial institutions including commercial, scheduled, regional, rural and cooperative banks, Pawar said.

The package will benefit around four crore farmers, about 82 per cent of the farming population in the country, Pawar told reporters. Pawar today met some farmers during his visit to Marathwada region and said they were happy over the relief package.

In Maharashtra alone, about 75 per cent farmers, whose land holding is less than two hectares, will benefit, Pawar said, describing the package as historic.

Asked about the race between political parties to take credit for initiating the package, Pawar said, "We are not concerned with that. What is more important is that for the first time after Independence, farmers have got a good deal.” — PTI

PIL against farm loan waiver scheme

New Delhi, March 1
The government’s Rs 60,000-crore debt waiver package for farmers, announced in Budget proposals yesterday, has been dragged to court as a public interest litigation has been filed in the Supreme Court questioning the basis on which the government has arrived at this figure.

The PIL by advocate M.L. Sharma has sought a direction to the finance ministry and the Reserve Bank of India to place the list of banks and the loan amount due to them.

Contending that the write-off is limited to such farmers who have taken loans from the nationalised banks, the PIL sought that the loan waiver scheme be extended to all those who had taken loan from private money lenders and private banks. — PTI