Shiv Sena terms loan waiver ‘hasty’

Mumbai: After the irregularities found in the loan waiver scheme, Shiv Sena on Saturday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Maharashtra government over the ‘hasty’ implementation of the Rs 34,022 crore loan waiver schemes for the farmers.  It alleged that the scheme has put farmers into more misery instead of providing any relief to them.

An editorial in Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ said, “The government rushed to seek credit for loan waiver implementation, which has now backfired. It is a classic example of how haste spoils crucial decisions like this and how common people suffer due to it. The whole exercise of loan waiver implementation has, in fact, increased the miseries of farmers instead of providing relief to them.”

The Sena asked when the state government insisted on online registration for farmers, how come ‘technical errors’ occurred while finalising the list of beneficiaries.

“It shows the poor preparation by the state administration before implementing such a big decision,” the editorial said.

The Sena said the government had claimed that farm loan up to Rs 1.5 lakh will be waived, then how come farmers got certificates of waiving of only Rs 10,000. “Is it not a cruel joke on farmers’ plight?” it asked.

The Sena is a part of the ruling alliance in Maharashtra and is known for being critical about the government in regards to the loan waiver issue.