Govt may bring another loan waiver for farmers: Pilot

Listed 'pro-farmer, pro-people' initiatives by Congress-led govt in past eight years at Kisan Sammelan

Asserting that Congress always stood for the welfare of farmers, Corporate Affairs Minister Sachin Pilot today said UPA Government would not hesitate to roll out another scheme waiving farm loans if the need arose.

Addressing a 'Kisan Sammelan' in this satellite city on the occasion of his late father Rajesh Pilot's 68th birth anniversary, Pilot listed the "pro-farmer and pro-people" initiatives taken by the Congress-led coalition in the past eight years.

"We have always stood for the welfare of farmers. We know their importance and that is why the UPA Government during its previous tenure brought the Rs 70,000-crore farm loan waiver scheme. It helped lakhs of farmers in the country who have been struggling to pay back their loans," he said.

"Farmers' interests are paramount for us. This Government will not hesitate to bring out another scheme like this for farmers. If a need arose in the future, we will not hesitate to do so," Pilot told hundreds of people who had come from his constituency Ajmer and other parts of Rajasthan.

He was speaking after Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda unveiled a statue of late Rajesh Pilot in Sector 55 on the Golf Course Road. Hooda also renamed the stretch as Rajesh Pilot Road.

Rajesh Pilot, who died in a road accident in Rajasthan in 2000, had represented Dausa and Bharatpur constituencies in Parliament.

Pilot also said Congress was the only party which gives importance to "youth power" and cited Rahul Gandhi's elevation as Vice-President as an instance of how the youth are rewarded in the party.