It’s a loan package, not relief package: Congress

It’s a loan package, not relief package: Congress

Pramod ChunchuwarUpdated: Friday, May 15, 2020, 11:51 PM IST
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Balasaheb Thorat |

While the people were expecting immediate financial relief from the Narendra Modi government, it announced a loan package, state Congress president Balasaheb Thorat said. The central government does not have any plan to help the people. So, it is appealing to the people to be self reliant, slammed Thorat.

The poor do not need futuristic schemes. Right now, they need direct cash transfer. Therefore, the Modi government should start a cash transfer scheme for the poor, as suggested by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, he demanded.

The package announced by the Finance Minister in the last three days contains largely the schemes already announced in the budget. “She is advising the people to plant a seed now and wait for its fruit for the next five years. The schemes regarding apiary, cold storage and warehouses already exist. Today, farmers are worried about how to sell their agricultural products. How can farmers wait till the construction of warehouses?” he asked.

The cluster scheme and fishery-related wealth scheme already exist as well. “But the fishermen need direct cash support. The government announced a vaccination scheme for cattles. But they primarily need fodder. How will they get it?,” he criticised.

The central government announced a scheme for perishable items. “But no compensation was announced for the loss of perishable items of farmers. Farmers are suffering from this loss and they need immediate help,” Thorat, who is also a revenue minister said.

Farmers are in dire need of help for their Kharif crop. “They need easy financial support and their past loan burden needs to be reduced. They should be supplied seeds, fertilisers and pesticides. The central government should also extend their supportive hand towards the state government to extend support to farmers. But the package lacks all these things. The announcement regarding infrastructure facilities and new rules has cheated farmers,” criticised Ashok Chavan, former chief minister and present public works development minister.

The package should have been announced in detail in a single day. “But the figures of the package were announced by the Prime Minister. The announcement of its details by the Finance Minister daily for three days is surprising. The package is like a TV serial in which a promo is shown by the PM and the finance minister is presenting daily ‘episodes’, Chavan taunted.

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