25 July,2017 02:48 PM IST | Mumbai | Dharmendra Jore
Chief Minister tables supplementary demand for Rs 20K crore from state budget for the scheme and launches web portal to register authentic beneficiaries
NCP's Shashikant Shinde and JDU's Kapil Patil protest on Vidhan Bhavan premises on Day 1 of the monsoon session of the state legislature on Monday
Anticipating a ruckus over expediting the farm loan waiver scheme, the BJP government did two things on Day 1 of the monsoon session of the state legislature - tabled a supplementary demand for Rs 20,000 crore from the state budget and launched an online system to register authentic beneficiaries across Maharashtra.
The additional budgetary allocation is more than half of the total (Rs 34,000 crore) needed for implementing a waiver scheme, which is named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Only for the genuine
Placing supplementary demands on the very first day is unusual. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis explained the reason to the farmers, whom he interacted with via video-conferencing while inaugurating the exclusive online platform on Monday afternoon.
"You don't need to worry. We have asked for an allocation exclusively for your scheme. Now, you need to register online as quickly as possible and upload your applications to avail the waiver," he told a group in Latur district's Gategaon.
The state government had announced R34,000-crore loan waiver for 89 lakh farmers last month. The waiver will be up to R1.5 lakh for each farmer irrespective of the size of landholding.
The online system, which is available on the state's 'Aaple Sarkar' portal, will help the government gather authentic data on farmers, who will be helped by 26,000 registration centres across Maharashtra. The state expects it to take a maximum of 15 days for everyone to complete registration. As applications are received, they will be verified and processed further for monetary benefit. The money will directly go to the farmers' Aadhaar-linked bank account, which they can then pay the banks with.
"We know that the previous loan waivers benefitted banks and fraudsters who opened bogus accounts. But we will ensure that this time taxpayers' money reaches the needy and genuine farmers. Technology will be used to stop corruption," the CM said, adding that everything that comes under the scheme will be linked with Aadhaar data.
The neglected lot?
Farmers having a clean bank record, on the other hand, felt they had been ignored by the government. A farmer from Gategaon told Fadnavis that he wasn't happy to get a mere bonus of Rs 25,000, considering that he had been servicing his loan every year. "I think farmers like me have had injustice done to them. What do you have to offer us? We have kept the banks running," said the farmer.
Fadnavis replied, "I understand how you are feeling. The government will certainly come up with more benefit for those who don't default. But, at the same time, I request beneficiaries of the current scheme to avoid further dues."
Opposition's ruckus
Earlier in the day, the Congress and NCP had demanded a discussion on loan waiver and staged a walkout in protest.
Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar had raised his voice before the proceedings had begun. He had asked that the official business be stayed and the farmers' issue be taken up instead.
"The government should inform us about the loan waiver process. Almost a month has passed since you announced the waiver. What if farmers continue to commit suicides?" he had asked.
Leader of the Opposition in the assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, had said, "We would like to know how the money is being disbursed to the farmers. We need to discuss several aspects of the scheme that you have announced."
