MVA govt to waive farmers' loans, ensure 80 pc jobs to locals

Mumbai, Nov 28: The Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance on Thursday said the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state would waive farmers' loans and ensure 80 per cent quota in jobs to the local youth.

NCP leaders Jayant Patil and Nawab Malik and Sena leader Eknath Shinde announced details of the Common Minimum Program (CMP) of the alliance here, ahead of the swearing in of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government. The CMP promises complete loan waiver to farmers as well as setting up of one rupee clinics' across the state which will provide basic health screening to people.

Sena's most discussed promise during the Assembly poll campaign -- a full meal at Rs 10 -- also figures in the CMP. A law will be enacted to ensure 80 per cent job quota for youths domiciled in Maharashtra, it said.

The program also talks about the filling of all vacant posts in the state government's various department immediately. It also promises to offer tenements measuring 500 sqft carpet area free of cost to eligible slum dwellers under the slum rehabilitation program instead of current 300 sqft tenements Several Metro projects in Mumbai, undertaken by the earlier BJP-led government, have been lagging behind, said Jayant Patil.

"We will try to expedite the completion of those projects," Patil said. Asked about CMP's promise to formulate a scheme for urban areas on the lines of Chief Minister's Gram Sadak Yojana, areas, Patil said, "There are some areas in corporation areas where roads are in poor shape and the corporations do not have enough funds to construct new roads. Our scheme will work in coordination with local bodies on new road construction."

The CMP also mentioned revision of crop insurance, appropriate measures to ensure remunerative prices to farmers and development of infrastructure for sustainable water supply to drought affected areas.