Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, who is on a two day visit to the flood-ravaged districts of Maharashtra, said that the state government will have to raise loan to provide aid to the farmers whose crops were destroyed. He said that he will make a request to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to borrow maximum loan to help the farmers hit hard due to unprecedented rainfall and floods.
He made a strong case for an increase in the amount of crop insurance scheme and relaxation in the completion of online formalities by the farmers while seeking the benefit.
“Maharashtra is passing through a major financial crisis. The state government has to borrow Rs 12,000 crore per month to pay salaries. I will suggest the CM to take opposition parties while meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek the central government’s assistance,” said Pawar.
On opposition’s charge that the CM is not stepping out of his home, Pawar strongly supported Thackeray, saying that a person at the higher post needs to plan, coordinate and supervise the implementation. “The CM has been doing it while operating from Mumbai. The ministers are on the field,” he noted.
To a question on the rising differences between Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Pawar said Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress are running the Maha Vikas Aghadi government well in the state. “I can understand those (without naming BJP) who had ruled the state for five years are not happy,” he viewed. Pawar ruled out the ghar wapsi of former minister Dr Padmasinh Patil and his son Rana Patil who quit NCP and joined BJP last year.
