Maharashtra farmers oppose new norms imposed by government for interim loans

Mumbai city news: This interim loan will be part of the loan waiver package, and will be adjusted against the final loan waiver that is likely to be announced in October.

The steering committee of the farmers’ outfits has opposed the new conditions imposed by the Maharashtra government for giving an interim loan of Rs 10,000 to small and marginal farmers. Slamming the government, the committee has demanded immediate revision in the norms that make a farmer eligible for financial assistance.

(HT File)

The state government on Wednesday issued order to all district cooperative banks and private or nationalised banks directing them to give farmers a quick loan of Rs10,000 so they could begin sowing kharif crops.

This interim loan will be part of the loan waiver package, and will be adjusted against the final loan waiver that is likely to be announced in October.

Read: Farm loan waiver: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray warns of ‘political earthquake’

To prevent the waivers from being misused, the government has excluded farmers who have an alternate source of income, families that own four wheelers, apart from legislators, former legislators, civic body and government employees, employees in institutions affiliated to the government, taxpayers and teachers.

One condition that the farmers have strongly opposed is the cut off date of June 30, 2016 for loan waiver. This means that farmers who have taken loans after this date will not be eligible for the waiver benefit. Ajit Nawale, coordinator of the steering committee has termed the cut off date as injustice to farmers, who are in dire need of help, but will not be eligible, as they have taken loans after June 2016.

Read: 1,129 farmers in Maharashtra committed suicide from Jan to May, loan waiver won’t help: Activists

“While the government is in the process of forming a committee to decide upon the norms for waiving off loans of the farmers, imposing norms on its own, and that too such harsh ones, is an unjust act. We want this cut off date to be extended till March 31,2017, “ Nawale said.

He has further objected to the four-wheeler condition, as it is a norm in rural areas to have the names of their joint family on the property card. Brothers who live separately still have their names on one property card. This condition will deprive the farmers, whose names are on the property cards of their joint family.

He also said that contesting elections or winning an election does not signify the wealth of a person, and thus, putting such a condition for farm loan waiver shows the government’s apathy towards issues of the farmers.