1,035 farmers committed suicide this year: Gadkari

Mumbai, Oct 27 (UNI) Maharashtra BJP president Nitin Gadkari today claimed that this year so far 1,035 debt ridden farmers from Vidarbha have committed suicide and added that the packages given by the State and the Centre had have hardly made an impact to improve the conditions.

Talking to reporters, Mr Gadkari said the financial assistance given by the Prime Minister has helped the scam ridden cooperative banks of Vidarbha, which were managed by the members of the ruling Congress NCP coalition. He said the Cooperative banks in Vidarbha were running into losses of Rs 1,000 crore.

He claimed that out of a total package of Rs 4,000 crore announced by the Prime Minister for the farmers in Vidarbha, only Rs 183 crore would directly benefit the farmers while other amounts have benefitted the ruling party leaders.

He ridiculed Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh who had advised farmers resorting to suicide to go for the 'art of living' course.

Mr Gadkari said the farmers should be waived off all their debts.

They should be provided fresh loans at a four per cent interest rate apart from giving a price of Rs 2,700 per quintal to cotton and Rs 1,000 to per quintal for rice.

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