Farmer loan waiver: Shiv Sena urges other CMs to emulate Yogi Adityanath

New Delhi [India], Apr. 5 (ANI): The Shiv Sena on Wednesday welcomed the Yogi Adityanath-led government's decision to waive off agrarian loans worth Rs 36,359 crore of nearly 87 lakh small and marginal farmers in Uttar Pradesh. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told ANI said the admirable step taken by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister should be emulated by others too. Congratulating Chief Minister Adityanath for taking the decision in his very first cabinet meeting, Raut said, "We have welcomed the decision of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ji. On the first day of the Cabinet meeting the courage he took to waive off the farmer's loan, I think others too should follow Adityanath's footsteps." "Especially in states like Punjab and Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu the farmer loan should be waived off. The maximum number of farmer suicides takes place in Maharashtra, with indebtedness being one of the main reasons," he added. The Uttar Pradesh Government yesterday waived off Rs. 30, 729 crore worth loan amount of the small and marginal farmers of the state. The decision will be benefitting 2 crore 15 lakh farmers of the state. Along with this, the government has also decided to forego Non-Performing Assets (NPA) worth Rs. 5,630 crore of eight lakh farmers. "Uttar Pradesh has 2, 30,00,000 farmers. We have waived off Rs. 30, 729 crore loan amount of the farmers," Cabinet Minister Siddharth Nath Singh told the media here. Cabinet Minister Shrikant Sharma said that the government has decided to keep a target of 80 lakh tonnes of wheat purchase. "All the district Magistrates (DMs) have been instructed to purchase more where there is more produce," Sharma said. Also, 7,000 purchase centres would be opened in the state. Singh also intimated that the government would introduce 'farmer bond' for the welfare of the farming community. (ANI)