Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Maharashtra Budget ignored Dying Vidarbha

Maharashtra Budget ignored Dying Vidarbha

Nagpur -23th march 2011

Maharashtra state budget for the year 2011-12 presented by State Finance Minister Ajit Pawar in the Maharashtra Assembly has ignored the 3 million debt trapped cotton farmers as state owned debt touched Rs.231,000 crore during fiscal 2010-11.

“As 3 million cotton farmers have lost cotton crop this year ,it was expected that state to address on going agrarian crisis will give bailout package as earlier relief packages most of fund for distressed farmers have siphoned out corrupt babus but nothing has been given hence we are disappointed.the state has failed to give much awaited food security and health security to dying cotton farmers and more than 10,000 farm widows and family members of framers who committed suicide since 2005 ,this is much more disturbing” Kishor Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti(VJAS) informed in press release.

“We welcome the decision to give zero % crop loan up to Rs.50,000/- and 2% interest up to Rs.3lakh but this facility can be availed by the farmers who are regular with banks hence to order to extend this facility to debt trapped farmers who are facing crop failure since 2009-10 and 11 in vidarbha we have been demanding the bailout package to those farmers who are not covered by state owned banks and forced to crop loan from local money lenders and private MFI and that’s area of discontent with announcement of budget .state failed to address the long pending demand of credit and cost protection to dry land farmers who are innocent victims of market forces ” Tiwari added.

VJAS has also flays the rosy announcement of creating irrigation facility another 2 lakh hector as most of money available under AIBP from Govt. of India has been siphoned out same finance minister more over there is official backlog of irrigation project in vidarbha which needs more than Rs.60,000 crore alone but state which has compulsory expenses of 80% of income in the salaries and administrative overheads and remaining 20% of income will go for the paying interest on state owned debt amounting Rs.231,000 crore during fiscal 2010-11.where is fund available from planed budget?.. Tiwari asked.

‘we are unhappy over salient of state Govt. about scheme of Rs.1 kilo wheat and rise as promised at the time of election where there is no new scheme for upliftment tribal and other tribes where as state provisioning of socials security and health services are peanuts .Maharashtra Govt. flagship project MIHAN in Nagpur has given only Rs.70 crore as against demand Rs.2000 crore that gives indication that state is winding up the project another step motherly treatment to vidarbha” Tiwari said.

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