Government is with you, Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Subhash Deshmukh to farmers

Two Maharashtra cabinet ministers on Saturday assured government support to distressed crop growers and appealed to them to not commit suicide.

"The government will fulfil its promise of farmer loan waiver. So far 50 lakh farmers have benefited from the loan waiver scheme. I assure the farmers that the government is with them. I appeal to them not to commit suicide," Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Subhash Deshmukh told ANI.

Delayed monsoon has lead to a severe agrarian crisis in the state. The state government had announced a loan waiver for the farmers but only about half the sanctioned money has been distributed.

"It is true that there is an agrarian crisis in the state. The government is doing its best. Till today, Rs 19,000 Crore have been transferred into the accounts of farmers. Those remaining will also get the benefit of loan waiver in the coming weeks," said State Agriculture Minister Anil Bonde.

"As compared to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra's loan waiver scheme is much more successful. Even Karnataka has not been able to reach this level of success," Bonde said on questions of the scheme's success.

"They will not only get loan waiver but will also get approval for further loans," he added.Last week, a farmer had attempted to commit suicide by consuming poison in the presence of State Energy MoS, MM Yerawar in Buldhana area.

-ANI