UNPA demands one-time waiver of all existing farmers' loans

Jaipur, Mar 9 (UNI) Reiterating resolve for continuing its struggle for the cause of farmers, United National Progressive Alliance(UNPA) today demanded one-time waiver of all existing loans of farmers, amounting to over Rs 3 lakh crore, and implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's report.

Addressing a farmers' rally here today, UNPA leaders, including UNPA Chief former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and UNPA Convenor former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandra Babu Naidu, expressed their dissatisfaction over Rs 60,000 crore farmers' loan waiver by the UPA government and alleged that this announcement was ''fraud and funny''.

They said the loan waiver was unlikely to provide releif to the farmers as it was aimed to formalise the Non Performing Assets(NPA) of the banks.

Moreover, the loan waiver came with riders of so many difficult conditions that the benefit would not reach the poor farmers.

Besides this, Finance Minister Chidambaram had not made any provision for the funds for the scheme, they said.

Mr Naidu said the loan waiver had been announced in the wake of pressure built up by the UNPA through its nation-wide movement but it was much short of their expectations.

He said nothing short of implementation of the Swaminathan Commission, Radhakrishnan Commission and CSPC recommendations would benefit the farmers.

He said the above three bodies were constituted by the UPA government itself but now their reports had been thrown into cold storage.

He said loan waivers were not the solution to farmer's problems but the solution was to ensure profitable crop prices to them.

He said if the government wants it this way, then it should immediately announce one-time waiver of all existing loans of farmers which totalled around Rs 3 lakh crore.

UNPA Chairman Mulayam Singh Yadav alleged that the Congress was responsible for farmers' problems and said the country could not progress until due attention was given to farmers' issues. He said prosperous farming community could only ensure prosperous India.

Mr Yadav reaffirmed UNPA's resolve to continue its campaign for farmers' cause and appealed to the people to make UNPA stronger.

Indian National Lok Dal Chief former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, former Jharkhand chief minister Babu Lal Marandi, Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh, Asom Gana Parishad(AGP) sitting MP Sarvanand Sonwal and INLD MP Ajay Singh Chautala also spoke on the occasion.

The UNPA has so far organised nine rallies for the cause of farmers in different parts of the country and would hold more programmes in UP, Bihar and Orissa.

UNI SS SKB DB2002