The Opposition Congress-NCP continued to mount pressure on the Maharashtra government, demanding that waiving off farm loans was the only solution to pull farmers out of the grave agrarian crisis.
On the second day of debate on farmers issues in the Legislative Assembly, Congress member Prithviraj Chavan today said farm loan waiver was the only solution to help the farmers reeling under repeated spells of drought, hailstorm and unseasonal rains.
Accusing the government of hurting the cooperative sector, Chavan said the cooperative movement is the backbone of rural economy.
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"Don't try to dismantle it. Differentiate between system and individuals. Strengthen the system and take action against errant individuals," the former chief minister said.
Criticising the government for not giving FRP (fair and remunerative price) for sugarcane, he asked the state government to discuss a proper revenue sharing formula with the Centre.
"In 2008, we had given Rs 72,000 crore as package to farmers. Now the package should be at least Rs 1.5 lakh crore," Chavan said.
NCP leader Jayant Patil said there is no alternative to farm loan waiver.
"Farmers are reeling under natural calamities for last few years. They can't depend only on nature for farming. The government needs to give a detailed reply on implementation of all their promises," he said.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will reply to the debate on Monday.
