CM demands waiver for farmers with 15 acre rain feed land

Mumbai, Mar 5 (UNI) Joining the opposition's demand to give loan waiver to farmers who are having more than five acres land, Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh today urged the planning commission to consider the difference of rain feed and irrigated agriculture.

During a meeting with the planning commission today in New Delhi, Mr Deshmukh said loan waiver should be given to the farmers in Marathwada and Vidarbha, who own up to 15 acre land or whose annual income is up to Rs 50,000, as most of the land in these regions is rain fed.

The opposition had raised a similar issue that in Vidarbha and Marathwada the farmers have ten to 15 acre of land while in western Maharashtra where irrigation is available the land holding is up to five acres. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Prabha Rau had also raised the same issue.

He demanded that Gosikhurd irrigation project from Vidarbha should be made a national project.

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