After Centre, Maharashtra state budget too Ignored Farm Loan Waiver and Cotton MSP issue –VJAS

After Centre, Maharashtra state budget too Ignored  farm loan waiver and cotton MSP issue –VJAS

Dated-19 March 2015

The main demands of more than 6 million dourght hit and distressed farmers of vidarbha and Marathawada regarding restoration of banking credit facility announcing minimum support price pf cotton as per election promise of investment plus 50% profit has been completed ignored in the Maharashtra state budget too after Indian Govt. rejected it ,this is complete betrayal of election promise given by BJP-SS parties before coming to power ,will trigger farm suicide spiral in  already distressed  farming community of Maharashtra who are  demanding  a waiver of crop loans accompanied by provision of health and food security as minimum relief in the  state budget, but state Govt. is unmoved ,The Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti's (VJAS) ,fram activist group working for deb-trapped dying farmers rights ,has expressed it’s shock and displeasure after budget announcement .

"it was expected that Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar is MLA from vidarbha region where innocent  farmers genocide due to farm debt and loss making farm produce prices is burning issue on international radar since 1998 and he himself has advocated the demand of complete farm loan waiver and higher mimnimum support price along with extending benefits of the Antyodaya food subsidy and employment guarantee schemes to help the distressed farmers in the state but when ha was given a chance .he ignored the same this is rubbing salt to the wound of dying farmers " VJAS president Kishore Tiwari said in a statement.

In fact this year, around nine million farmers have suffered huge losses following spells of drought, unseasonal rains and hailstorm and other problems which resulted in massive crop failure hence special relief as per election promise of BJP-SS the farm debt waiver was expected but but turned out otbr hoaxed ,Tiwari said.

"Coupled with old and new debts, the successive crop failures and family responsibilities, many farmers have committed suicide. In the budget, we are hoping the government will put forth some concrete proposals to benefit the farmers," Tiwari told.

The hopes from the state budget were specially high since the farmers were disappointed after finding no announcement for the farm sector in the Union Budget presented last week as this year, the Maharashtra government has acknowledged that of the 39,453 villages in the state, a whopping 24,810 are drought hit, adding to the farmers' woes and 4,34,291 farmers in six districts of Vidarbha are in distress and therefore the BJP-SS-led Maharashtra government should provide immediate relief to them , the  Tiwariadded.

The Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti today demanded that the Maharashtra government should waive off crop loans, provide health care and also food security to farmers, should consider extending benefits of the Antodaya food subsidy scheme and employment guarantee scheme to distressed farmers’ Kishore Tiwari said in the release.