Devendra Fadnavis said government has asked centre for financial assistance on farm loan waiver.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath's quick announcement of a farm loan waiver has put pressure on another young BJP Chief Minister. Maharashtra's Devendra Fadnavis said today that his government is studying the Uttar Pradesh model.
In the Maharashtra assembly, amid demands from members of his party and ally Shiv Sena that the state government announce a loan waiver for distressed farmers too, Mr Fadnavis, 46, said, "We will study how Uttar Pradesh will raise such a huge amount of money."
He later tweeted, "I have already instructed the Finance Secretary to study the UP farm loan waiver model. We are working hard to help our farmers since Day 1 of our government."
The Maharashtra Chief Minister said his government has asked the centre for financial assistance. "If we don't get help from the centre, we are working on how a loan waiver can be granted," he said.
Yogi Adityanath's announcement of a farm loan waiver came only 15 days after he took oath. The 44-year-old Chief Minister has written off loans taken by marginal and small farmers worth over 36,000 crore, in keeping with an election promise made by the BJP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said while campaigning in UP that if a BJP government came to power it would announce a farm loan waiver.
Mr Fadnavis has been under pressure to announce such a package for debt-ridden farmers not only from within his party, but also from opposition parties.
Shamburaje Desai of the Shiv Sena said today that two debt-ridden farmers had committed suicide in Wadgaon of the state's Satara district recently. "If Uttar Pradesh can make a provision of Rs 36,000 crore to waive off loans up to Rs 1 lakh, why can't Maharashtra. Our financial condition is better than Uttar Pradesh. UP Chief Minister did not wait for central government help," Mr Desai said.
He demanded that the Rs 30,500-crore that farmers in Maharashtra owe to banks should be written off before the Budget session ends on April 7.