Vidarbha MLAs confused about loan waiver

Mumbai: Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram announced a Rs 60,000 crore loan waiver scheme for farmers in his Budget speech but Members of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, which has seen a large numbers of farmers committing suicides, are confused about the supposed benefits of scheme.

Although the farmers are looking forward to some relief from the government's loan waiver schemes, but now it seems that the MLAs from the region are completely confused about the benefits that it will bring.

"You waived loans because there were distressed farmers in Vidarbha and now even the distressed farmers from Vidarbha are not getting any benefit. I think it is at somebody's instance that finance minister has made a commitment but he has not worked on it," Devendra Phadanvis, MLA from Nagpur, says.

There is confusion over exactly how many farmers will get benefit of the waiver scheme and when the scheme will be implemented.

Most farmers in Vidarbha haven taken loans from private moneylenders and hence don't stand to benefit from the waiver.

The Shiv Sena says there is no way out but to launch a massive agitation against private moneylenders.

"There is no option but to launch an agitation against moneylenders. They have exploited farmers. We want to warn government that Shiv Sena will not be responsible if the agitation goes out of control," Uddhav Thackeray, Executive President of Shiv Sena, says.

And considering the resentment in the rural areas, the Maharashtra government cannot rule out the possibility of a widespread agitation.

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