Thursday, Mar 28, 2024 | Last Update : 10:11 PM IST

  Metros   Mumbai  21 Nov 2019  Sharad Pawar meets PM in Delhi, discusses farmers’ plight

Sharad Pawar meets PM in Delhi, discusses farmers’ plight

THE ASIAN AGE.
Published : Nov 21, 2019, 2:40 am IST
Updated : Nov 21, 2019, 2:40 am IST

Mr Pawar urged the PM to intervene on an urgent basis as President’s rule has been imposed in the state.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar
 Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the acute farm distress in Maharashtra owing to unseasonal rainfall.

Mr Pawar submitted a memorandum to Mr Modi, according to which, a complete and unconditional loan waiver should be given to farmers as they have complained about not receiving the farm loan waiver, yet. Mr Pawar demanded that the current farm loan be waived in light of current crop damages.

Mr Pawar urged the PM to intervene on an urgent basis as President’s rule has been imposed in the state.

The three-page memorandum handed over to the PM by Mr Pawar reads, “Due to President's rule in the state, your (Mr Modi’s) urgent intervention is highly necessitated. I shall be grateful if you (Mr Modi) could take immediate steps to initiate massive relief measures to ameliorate the misery of the distressed farmers.”

According to the memorandum, unseasonal rainfall has created havoc, engulfing 325 talukas of Maharashtra and causing heavy damage to crops over an area of 54.22 lakh hectares. Having visited the Nashik and Nagpur districts himself, Mr Pawar has apprised the PM of the alarming situation in the state. The memorandum states that over a span of 10 months, 44 farmers have committed suicide in Nashik district alone.

According to Mr Pawar, insurance companies have been completely insensitive to the farmers’ plight. These companies are more inclined to reject the insurance claims on trivial and technical grounds. An urgent meeting with insurance companies may be convened, Mr Pawar has suggested.

The farmers from Nashik district have complained about non-disbursement of crop loans since the past three years. The cooperative credit system has been paralysed since declaration of demonetisation. Private moneylenders and finance companies have resorted to coercive recovery measures. The ministry of finance may please be directed to undertake necessary steps to resolve the credit crisis. An additional fresh credit at zero per cent interest rates may be given for agricultural purposes for raising new crops. 

Tags: sharad pawar, narendra modi